:   THE   : 

CLOCKS 

*  *  -  OF  *  *  * 

RON  DA!  N  I 


:  OTHER 

:  STORIES 


.  .  .  .    BY   -  -  -  - 

FRANK  R.STOCKTC 


University  of  California  •  Berkeley 


t\ 


THE   CLOCKS   OF   RONDAINE 

AND     OTHER    STORIES 


«SO    MANY    THINGS   STOP    AT    NIGHT—  SUCH    AS   THE    DAY    ITSELF—  THAT    I    THINK   YOU 


OUGHT   TO   PARDON   MY   POOR   CLOCK. 


THE 

GLOCKS  OF  RONDAINE 

AND   OTHER   STORIES 


AUTHOP 


BY 

FRANK    R.    STOCKTON 

OB    '"THE    FLOATING    PP1NCE,"     "A   JOLLY    FELLOWSHIP,"    BTO 


ILLUSTRATED  BY  E.  H.  BLASHFIELD,  W.  A.  ROGERS,  D.  C.  BEARD 

AND  OTHERS 


NEW    YORK 

CHARLES   SCRIBNER'S   SONS 
1909 


COPYRIGHT  1892,  BY 
CHARLES   SCRIBNER'S   SONS 


CONTENTS. 

X 

The  Clocks  of  Rondaine Page     i 

The  Curious  History  of  a  Message "      24 

A  Fortunate  Opening "      4$ 

The  Christmas  Truants 75 

The  Tricycle  of  the  Future 92 

The  Accommodating  Circumstance "    108 

The  Great  Show  in  Kobol-land "    129 


LIST  OF  ILLUSTRATIONS. 

"  So  many  things  stop  at  night — such  as  the  day  itself — float  I 

think  you  ought  to  pardon  my  poor  clock  " Frontispies* 

Over  the  roofs  of  Rondaine Page  } 

"  I  don't  like  him  as  much  as  I  used  to,"  said  Aria "  8 

Aria  and  the  sacristan "  Q 

At  the  telephone "  24 

Elinor  and  Maud "  27 

The  professor  wished  to  find  out  just  how  the  accident  had  happened  "  32 

The  bird  began  circling  around  the  room "  38 

"  The  Gulf  Stream  goes  to  England,  doesn't  it  ?    Do  you  suppose  it 

will  drift  us  as  far  as  that  ?  " "  57 

"/  cut  all  the  ropes  that  confined  the  sail" "  64 

"Up  to  the  pilot-home  -we  rushed,  and  we  both  took  hold  of  the 

great  wheel" -y    .......  "  67 

They  were  marched  away  to  the  robbers'  cave "  79 

Fred's  ideal  tricycle  of  the  future "  99 

"A  unicyclel"  exclaimed  Putty;  "what  is  that?" "  707 

"You  are  the  noblest  man,"  said  Lit^a \    , ,  .>  "  725 


LIST  OF  ILLUSTRATIONS. 


The  twin  kings Page  130 

'  Graglick,  measure  my  grin " "  134 

The  journey  to  Kobol-land "  757 

All  fairyland  was  there "  7^9 

Gromline  and  his  bean "  146 

Duel  between  the  king  and  the  unicorn "  767 

Prince  At  to  takes  a  ride  with  the  griffin    .    . "  765 

The  judges  of  the  games "  767 

Athletes  at  the  games "  770 


THE    CLOCKS    OF    RONDAINE. 


CENTURIES  ago,  there  stood  on  the  banks  of  a  river  a  little 
town  called  Rondaine.  The  river  was  a  long  and  winding 
stream  which  ran  through  different  countries,  and  was 
sometimes  narrow  and  swift,  and  sometimes  broad  and  placid  ; 
sometimes  hurrying  through  mountain  passes,  and  again  meander- 
ing quietly  through  fertile  plains  ;  in  some  places  of  a  blue  color 
and  almost  transparent,  and  in  others  of  a  dark  and  sombre  hue  ; 
and  so  it  changed  until  it  threw  itself  into  a  warm,  far-spreading 
sea. 

But  it  was  quite  otherwise  with  the  little  town.  As  far  back  as 
anybody  could  remember,  it  had  always  been  the  same  that  it  was 
at  the  time  of  our  story  ;  and  the  people  who  lived  there  could  see 
no  reason  to  suppose  that  it  would  ever  be  different  from  what  it 
was  then.  It  was  a  pleasant  little  town,  its  citizens  were  very 
happy  ;  and  why  there  should  be  any  change  in  it,  the  most  astute 
old  man  in  all  Rondaine  could  not  have  told  you. 

If  Rondaine  had  been  famed  for  anything  at  all,  it  would  have 
been  for  the  number  of  its  clocks.  It  had  many  churches,  some 
little  ones  in  dark  side  streets,  and  some  larger  ones  in  wider  thor- 
oughfares, besides  here  and  there  a  very  good-sized  church  front- 
ing on  a  park  or  open  square  ;  and  in  the  steeple  of  each  of  these 
churches  there  was  a  clock.  There  were  town  buildings,  very  old 
ones,  which  stood  upon  the  great  central  square.  Each  of  these 


THE  CLOCKS   OF  RONDAINE. 


had  a  tower,  and  in  each  tower  was  a  clock.  Then  there  were 
clocks  at  street  corners,  and  two  clocks  in  the  market-place,  and 
clocks  over  shop  doors,  a  clock  at  each  end  of  the  bridge,  and  sev- 
eral large  clocks  a  little  way  out  of  town.  Many  of  these  clocks 
were  fashioned  in  some  quaint  and  curious  way.  In  one  of  the 
largest  a  stone  man  came  out  and  struck  the  hours  with  a  stone 
hammer,  while  a  stone  woman  struck  the  half  hours  with  a  stone 
broom  ;  and  in  another  an  iron  donkey  kicked  the  hours  on  a  bell 
behind  him.  It  would  be  impossible  to  tell  all  the  odd  ways  in 
which  the  clocks  of  Rondaine  struck ;  but  in  one  respect  they  were 
alike  :  they  all  did  strike.  The  good  people  of  the  town  would 
not  have  tolerated  a  clock  which  did  not  strike. 

It  was  very  interesting  to  lie  awake  in  the  night  and  hear  the 
clocks  of  Rondaine  strike.  First  would  come  a  faint  striking  from 
one  of  the  churches  in  the  by-streets,  a  modest  sound,  as  if  the 
clock  was  not  sure  whether  it  was  too  early  or  not  ;  then  from 
another  quarter  would  be  heard  a  more  confident  clock  striking  the 
hour  clearly  and  distinctly.  When  they  were  quite  ready,  but  not 
a  moment  before,  the  seven  bells  of  the  large  church  on  the  square 
would  chime  the  hour ;  after  which,  at  a  respectful  interval  of  time, 
the  other  church  clocks  of  the  town  would  strike.  After  the  lapse 
of  three  or  four  minutes,  the  sound  of  all  these  bells  seemed  to 
wake  up  the  stone  man  in  the  tower  of  the  town  building,  and  he 
struck  the  hour  with  his  hammer.  When  this  had  been  done,  the 
other  municipal  clocks  felt  at  liberty  to  strike,  and  they  did  so. 
And  when  every  sound  had  died  away,  so  that  he  would  be  certain 
to  be  heard  if  there  was  any  one  awake  to  hear,  it  would  be  very 
likely  that  the  iron  donkey  would  kick  out  the  hour  on  his  bell. 
But  there  were  times  when  he  kicked  before  any  of  the  clocks 
began  to  strike.  One  by  one  the  clocks  on  the  street  corners 
struck,  the  uptown  ones  first,  and  afterward  those  near  the  river. 


THE  CLOCKS  OF  RONDAINE. 


These  were  followed  by  the  two  clocks  on  the  bridge, 
the   one   at   the  country  end  waiting   until  it  was  quite 
sure  that  the  one  at  the  town  end  had  finished.     Some- 
what later  would  be  heard  the  clock  of  Vougereau,  an 
old  country  house  in  the  suburbs.     This  clock, 
a  very  large  one,  was  on  the  top  of  a  great 
square  stone  tower,  and  from  its  age  it  had 
acquired  a  habit  of  deliberation  ;   and  when 
it  began   to  strike   people    were  very  apt  to 
think   that  it  was  one  o'clock,   until  after  a 
considerable    interval    another    stroke  would 
assure  them  that  it  was  later 
or   earlier   than    that,   and   if 
they  really  wanted    to   know 
what  hour  the  old  clock  was 
striking  they  must  give  them- 


OVER    THE    ROOFS    OF    RONDAINE. 


THE  CLOCKS   OF  RONDAINE. 


selves  time  enough  to  listen  until  they  were  entirely  certain  that  it 
had  finished. 

The  very  last  clock  to  strike  in  Rondaine  was  one  belonging  to 
a  little  old  lady  with  white  hair,  who  lived  in  a  little  white  house 
in  one  of  the  prettiest  and  cleanest  streets  in  the  town.  Her  clock 
was  in  a  little  white  tower  at  the  corner  of  her  house,  and  was  the 
only  strictly  private  clock  which  was  in  the  habit  of  making  itself 
publicly  heard.  Long  after  every  other  clock  had  struck,  and 
when  there  was  every  reason  to  believe  that  for  a  considerable 
time  nothing  but  half-hours  would  be  heard  in  Rondaine,  the  old 
lady's  clock  would  strike  quickly  and  decisively,  and  with  a  confi- 
dent tone,  as  if  it  knew  it  was  right,  and  wished  everybody  to 
know  that  it  knew. 

In  an  unpretentious  house  which  stood  on  a  corner  of  two  of  the 
smaller  streets  in  the  town  lived  a  young  girl  named  Aria.  For  a 
year  or  more  Aria  had  been  in  the  habit  of  waking  up  very  early 
in  the  morning,  sometimes  long  before  daylight,  and  it  had  become 
a  habit  with  her  to  lie  and  listen  to  the  clocks.  Her  room  was  at 
the  top  of  the  house,  and  one  of  its  windows  opened  to  the  west 
and  another  to  the  south,  so  that  sounds  entered  from  different 
quarters.  Aria  liked  to  leave  these  windows  open  so  that  the 
sounds  of  the  clocks  might  come  in. 

Aria  knew  every  clock  by  its  tone,  and  she  always  made  it  a 
point  to  lie  awake  until  she  was  positively  sure  that  the  last  stroke 
of  the  clock  at  Vougereau  had  sounded  ;  but  it  often  happened 
that  sleep  overcame  her  before  she  heard  the  clock  of  the  little  old 
lady  with  white  hair.  It  was  so  very  long  to  wait  for  that ! 

It  was  not  because  she  wanted  to  know  the  hour  that  Aria  used 
to  lie  and  listen  to  the  clocks.  She  had  a  little  clock  of  her  own, 
which  stood  in  her  room,  and  on  which  she  depended  for  correct 
information  regarding  the  time  of  day  or  night.  This  little  clock, 


THE   CLOCKS   OF  RONDAINE. 


which  had  been  given  to  her  when  she  was  a  small  girl,  not  only 
struck  the  hours  and  half-hours  and  quarter-hours,  but  there  was 
attached  to  it  a  very  pretty  piece  of  mechanism  which  also  indi- 
cated the  time.  On  the  front  of  the  clock,  just  below  the  dial,  was 
a  sprig  of  a  rosebush  beautifully  made  of  metal,  and  on  this,  just 
after  the  hour  had  sounded,  there  was  a  large  green  bud  ;  at  a 
quarter  past  the  hour  this  bud  opened  a  little,  so  that  the  red 
petals  could  be  seen  ;  fifteen  minutes  later  it  was  a  half-blown 
rose,  and  at  a  quarter  of  an  hour  more  it  was  nearly  full  blown  ; 
just  before  the  hour  the  rose  opened  to  its  fullest  extent,  and  so 
remained  until  the  clock  had  finished  striking,  when  it  immediately 
shut  up  into  a  great  green  bud.  This  clock  was  a  great  delight 
to  Aria ;  for  not  only  was  it  a  very  pleasant  thing  to  watch  the 
unfolding  of  the  rose,  but  it  was  a  continual  satisfaction  to  her 
to  think  that  her  little  clock  always  told  her  exactly  what  time  it 
was,  no  matter  what  the  other  clocks  of  Rondaine  might  say. 

Aria's  father  and  mother  were  thrifty,  industrious  people,  who 
were  very  fond  of  their  daughter.  They  not  only  taught  her  how 
to  employ  herself  usefully,  but  insisted  that  she  should  take  the 
recreation  and  exercise  that  a  young  girl  ought  to  have.  All  day 
she  was  so  occupied  with  work  or  play  that  she  had  little  oppor- 
tunity of  thinking  for  herself  ;  but  even  if  they  had  considered  the 
matter,  this  fact  would  not  have  troubled  her  parents,  as  they 
looked  upon  Aria  as  entirely  too  young  for  that  sort  of  thing.  In 
the  very  early  morning,  however,  listening  to  the  clocks  of  Ron- 
daine or  waiting  for  them,  Aria  did  a  great  deal  of  thinking ;  and 
it  so  happened,  on  the  morning  of  the  day  before  Christmas,  when 
the  stars  were  bright  and  the  air  frosty,  and  every  outside  sound 
very  clear  and  distinct,  that  Aria  began  to  think  of  something 
which  had  never  entered  her  mind  before. 

"  How  in  the  world,"  she  said  to  herself,  "do  the  people  of 


THE   CLOCKS  OF  RONDA1NE. 


Rondaine  know  when  it  is  really  Christmas  ?  Christmas  begins  as 
soon  as  it  is  twelve  o'clock  on  Christmas  Eve  ;  but  as  some  of  the 
people  depend  for  the  time  upon  one  clock  and  some  upon  others, 
a  great  many  of  them  cannot  truly  know  when  Christmas  Day  has 
really  begun.  Even  some  of  the  church  clocks  make  people  think 
that  Christmas  has  come,  when  in  reality  it  is  yet  the  day  before. 
And  not  one  of  them  strikes  at  the  right  time  !  As  for  that  iron 
donkey,  I  believe  he  kicks  whenever  he  feels  like  it.  And  yet 
there  are  people  who  go  by  him  !  I  know  this,  for  they  have  told 
me  so.  But  the  little  old  lady  with  white  hair  is  worse  off  than 
anybody  else.  Christmas  must  always  come  ever  so  long  before 
she  knows  it." 

With  these  important  thoughts  on  her  mind,  Aria  could  not 
go  to  sleep  again.  She  heard  all  the  clocks  strike,  and  lay 
awake  until  her  own  little  clock  told  her  that  she  ought  to  get 
up.  During  this  time  she  had  made  up  her  mind  what  she 
should  do.  There  was  yet  one  day  before  Christmas  ;  and  if  the 
people  of  the  town  could  be  made  to  see  in  what  a  deplorable 
condition  they  were  on  account  of  the  difference  in  their  clocks, 
they  might  have  time  to  rectify  the  matter  so  that  all  the  clocks 
should  strike  the  correct  hour,  and  everybody  should  know  ex- 
actly when  Christmas  Day  began.  She  was  sure  that  the  citizens 
had  never  given  this  matter  proper  consideration  ;  and  it  was  quite 
natural  that  such  should  be  the  case,  for  it  was  not  every  one  who 
was  in  the  habit  of  lying  awake  in  the  very  early  morning ;  and  in 
the  daytime,  with  all  the  out-door  noises,  one  could  not  hear  all  the 
clocks  strike  in  Rondaine.  Aria,  therefore,  thought  that  a  great 
deal  depended  upon  her,  who  knew  exactly  how  this  matter  stood. 

When  she  went  down  to  breakfast  she  asked  permission  of  her 
mother  to  take  a  day's  holiday.  As  she  was  a  good  girl,  and 
never  neglected  either  her  lessons  or  her  tasks,  her  mother  was 


THE   CLOCKS   OF  RONDAINE. 


quite  willing  to  give  her  the  day  before  Christmas  in  which  she 
could  do  as  she  pleased,  and  she  did  not  think  it  necessary  to  ask 
if  she  intended  to  spend  it  in  any  particular  way. 

The  day  was  cool,  but  the  sun  shone  brightly  and  the  air  was 
pleasant.  In  the  country  around  about  Rondaine  Christmas-time 
was  not  a  very  cold  season.  Aria  put  on  a  warm  jacket  and  a 
pretty  blue  hood,  and  started  out  gayly  to  attend  to  the  business 
in  hand.  Everybody  in  Rondaine  knew  her  father  and  mother, 
and  a  great  many  of  them  knew  her,  so  there  was  no  reason  why 
she  should  be  afraid  to  go  where  she  chose.  In  one  hand  she 
carried  a  small  covered  basket  in  which  she  had  placed  her  rose 
clock.  The  works  of  this  little  clock  were  regulated  by  a  balance- 
wheel,  like  those  of  a  watch,  and  therefore  it  could  be  carried 
about  without  stopping  it. 

The  first  place  she  visited  was  the  church  at  which  she  and  her 
parents  always  attended  service.  It  was  a  small  building  in  a 
little  square  at  the  bottom  of  a  hill,  and,  to  reach  it,  one  had  to  go 
down  a  long  flight  of  stone  steps.  When  she  entered  the  dimly 
lighted  church,  Aria  soon  saw  the  sacristan,  a  pleasant-faced  little 
old  man  whom  she  knew  very  well. 

"  Good-morning,  sir,"  said  she.  "  Do  you  take  care  of  the 
church  clock  ?  " 

The  sacristan  was  sweeping  the  stone  pavements  of  the  church, 
just  inside  the  door.  He  stopped  and  leaned  upon  his  broom. 
"  Yes,  my  little  friend,"  he  said,  "  I  take  care  of  everything  here 
except  the  souls  of  the  people." 

"  Well,  then,"  said  Aria,  "  I  think  you  ought  to  know  that  your 
clock  is  eleven  minutes  too  fast.  I  came  here  to  tell  you  that,  so 
that  you  might  change  it,  and  make  it  strike  properly." 

The  sacristan's  eyes  began  to  twinkle.  He  was  a  man  of  merry 
mood.  "  That  is  very  good  of  you,  little  Aria  ;  very  good  indeed. 


8 


THE  CLOCKS  OF  RONDAINE. 


And,  now  that  we  are  about  it,  isn't  there  something  else  you 
would  like  to  change  ?  What  do  you  say  to  having  these  stone 
pillars  put  to  one  side,  so  that  they  may  be  out  of  the  way  of  the 
people  when  they  come  in  ?  Or  those  great  beams  in  the  roof — 
they  might  be  turned  over,  and  perhaps  we  might  find  that  the 
upper  side  would  look  fresher  than  this  lower  part,  which  is  some- 
what time-stained,  as  you 
see  ?  Or,  for  the  matter  of 
that,  what  do  you  say  to 
having  our  clock-tower 
taken  down  and  set  out 
there  in  the  square  before 
the  church  door?  Then 
short-sighted  people  could 
see  the  time  much  better, 
don't  you  think  ?  Now  tell 
me,  shall  we  do  all  these 
things  together,  wise  little 
friend?" 

A  tear  or  two  came  into 
Aria's  eyes,  but  she  made 
no  answer. 

"  Good-morning,  sir,"  she 
said,  and  went  away. 

"  I    suppose,"   she    said 

to  herself  as  she  ran  up  the  stone  steps,  "that  he  thought  it  would 
be  too  much  trouble  to  climb  to  the  top  of  the  tower  to  set  the 
clock  right.  But  that  was  no  reason  why  he  should  make  fun  of 
me.  I  don't  like  him  as  much  as  I  used  to." 

The  next  church  to  which  Aria  went  was  a  large  one,  and  it 
was  some  time  before  she  could  find  the  sacristan.     At  last  she 


u  I  DON'T  LIKE  HIM  AS  MUCH    AS   I    USED    TO, 
SAID    ARLA. 


ARLA    AND    THE 


THE  CLOCKS   OF  RONDAINE.  n 

saw  him  in  a  side  chapel  at  the  upper  end  of  the  church,  engaged 
in  dusting  some  old  books.  He  was  a  large  man,  with  a  red  face, 
and  he  turned  around  quickly,  with  a  stern  expression,  as  she 
entered. 

"  Please,  sir,"  said  Aria,  "  I  came  to  tell  you  that  your  church 
clock  is  wrong.  It  strikes  from  four  to  six  minutes  before  it  ought 
to ;  sometimes  the  one  and  sometimes  the  other.  It  should  be 
changed  so  that  it  will  be  sure  to  strike  at  the  right  time." 

The  face  of  the  sacristan  grew  redder  and  twitched  visibly  at 
her  remark. 

"  Do  you  know  what  I  wish  ?  "  he  almost  shouted  in  reply. 

"  No,  sir,"  answered  Aria. 

"  I  wish,"  he  said,  "  that  you  were  a  boy,  so  that  I  might  take 
you  by  the  collar  and  soundly  cuff  your  ears,  for  coming  here  to 
insult  an  officer  of  the  church  in  the  midst  of  his  duties  !  But,  as 
you  are  a  girl,  I  can  only  tell  you  to  go  away  from  here  as  rapidly 
and  as  quietly  as  you  can,  or  I  shall  have  to  put  you  in  the  hands 
of  the  ecclesiastical  authorities  !  " 

Aria  was  truly  frightened,  and  although  she  did  not  run — for 
she  knew  that  would  not  be  proper  in  a  church — she  walked  as 
fast  as  she  could  into  the  outer  air. 

"  What  a  bad  man,"  she  then  said  to  herself,  "to  be  employed 
in  a  church  !  It  surely  is  not  known  what  sort  of  person  he  is, 
or  he  would  not  be  allowed  to  stay  there  a  day  !  " 

Aria  thought  she  would  not  go  to  any  more  churches  at  pres- 
ent, for  she  did  not  know  what  sort  of  sacristans  she  might  find  in 
them. 

"  When  the  other  clocks  in  the  town  all  strike  properly,"  she 
thought,  "it  is  most  likely  they  will  see  for  themselves  that  their 
clocks  are  wrong,  and  they  will  have  them  changed." 

She  now  made  her  way  to  the  great  square  of  the  town,  and 


12  THE  CLOCKS   OF  RONDAINE. 

entered  the  building  at  the  top  of  which  stood  the  stone  man  with 
his  hammer.  She  found  the  concierge,  or  doorkeeper,  in  a  little 
room  by  the  side  of  the  entrance.  She  knew  where  to  go,  for  she 
had  been  there  with  her  mother  to  ask  permission  to  go  up  and 
see  the  stone  man  strike  the  hour  with  his  hammer,  and  the  stone 
woman  strike  the  half-hour  with  her  broom. 

The  concierge  was  a  grave,  middle-aged  man  with  spectacles  ; 
and,  remembering  what  had  just  happened,  Aria  thought  she  would 
be  careful  how  she  spoke  to  him. 

"  If  you  please,  sir,"  she  said,  with  a  courtesy,  "  I  should  like  to 
say  something  to  you.  And  I  hope  you  will  not  be  offended  when 
I  tell  you  that  your  clock  is  not  quite  right.  Your  stone  man  and 
your  stone  woman  are  both  too  slow  ;  they  sometimes  strike  as 
much  as  seven  minutes  after  they  ought  to  strike." 

The  grave,  middle-aged  man  looked  steadily  at  her  through  his 
spectacles. 

"  I  thought,"  continued  Aria,  "that  if  this  should  be  made 
known  to  you,  you  would  have  the  works  of  the  stone  man  and 
the  -stone  woman  altered  so  that  they  might  strike  at  the  right 
time.  They  can  be  heard  so  far,  you  know,  that  it  is  very  necessary 
they  should  not  make  mistakes." 

"  Child,"  said  the  man,  with  his  spectacles  still  steadily  fixed  on 
her,  "  for  one  hundred  and  fifty-seven  years  the  open  tower  on 
this  building  has  stood  there.  For  one  hundred  and  fifty-seven 
years  the  thunder  and  the  lightning  in  time  of  storm  have  roared 
and  flashed  around  it,  and  the  sun  in  time  of  fair  weather  has  shone 
upon  it.  In  that  century  and  a  half  and  seven  years  men  and 
women  have  lived  and  have  died,  and  their  children  and  their 
grandchildren  and  their  great-grandchildren,  and  even  the  children 
of  these,  have  lived  and  died  after  them.  Kings  and  queens  have 
passed  away,  one  after  another  ;  and  all  things  living  have  grown 


THE  CLOCKS  OF  RONDA1NE.  13 

old  and  died,  one  generation  after  another,  many  times.  And  yet, 
through  all  these  years,  that  stone  man  and  that  stone  woman  have 
stood  there,  and  in  storm  and  in  fair  weather,  by  daylight  or  in 
the  darkness  of  night,  they  have  struck  the  hours  and  the  half- 
hours.  Of  all  things  that  one  hundred  and  fifty-seven  years  ago 
were  able  to  lift  an  arm  to  strike,  they  alone  are  left.  And  now 
you,  a  child  of  thirteen,  or  perhaps  fourteen  years,  come  to  me  and 
ask  me  to  change  that  which  has  not  been  changed  for  a  century 
and  a  half  and  seven  years  !  " 

Aria  could  answer  nothing  with  those  spectacles  fixed  upon  her. 
They  seemed  to  glare  more  and  more  as  she  looked  at  them. 
"  Good- morning,  sir,"  she  said,  dropping  a  courtesy  as  she  moved 
backward  toward  the  door.  Reaching  it,  she  turned  and  hurried 
into  the  street. 

"  If  those  stone  people,"  she  thought,  "  have  not  been  altered 
in  all  these  years,  it  is  likely  they  would  now  be  striking  two  or 
three  hours  out  of  the  way  !  But  I  don't  know.  If  they  kept  on 
going  slow  for  more  than  a  century,  they  must  have  come  around 
to  the  right  hour  sometimes.  But  they  will  have  to  strike  ever 
and  ever  so  much  longer  before  they  come  around  there  again  !  " 

Aria  now  walked  on  until  she  came  to  a  street  corner  where  a 
cobbler  had  a  little  shop.  In  the  angle  of  the  wall  of  the  house,  at 
the  height  of  the  second  story,  was  a  clock.  This  cobbler  did  not 
like  the  confined  air  and  poor  light  of  his  shop,  and  whenever  the 
weather  allowed  he  always  worked  outside  on  the  sidewalk.  To- 
day, although  it  was  winter,  the  sun  shone  brightly  on  this  side  of 
the  street,  and  he  had  put  his  bench  outside,  close  to  his  door,  and 
was  sitting  there,  hard  at  work.  When  Aria  stopped  before  him 
he  looked  up  and  said,  cheerfully  : 

"  Good-morning,  Mistress  Aria.  Do  you  want  them  half-soled, 
or  heeled,  or  a  patch  put  on  the  toes  ?  " 


14  THE  CLOCKS   OF  RONDAINE. 

"  My  shoes  do  not  need  mending,"  said  Aria.  "  I  came  to  ask 
you  if  you  could  tell  me  who  has  charge  of  the  clock  at  this 
corner  ?  " 

"  I  can  easily  do  that,"  he  said,  "  for  I  am  the  man.  I  am  paid 
by  the  year,  for  winding  it  up  and  keeping  it  in  order,  as  much  as 
I  should  get  for  putting  the  soles,  heels,  tops,  linings,  and  buckles 
on  a  pair  of  shoes." 

"  Which  means  making  them  out  and  out,"  said  Aria. 

"You  are  right,"  said  he,  "and  the  pay  is  not  great;  but  if  it 
were  larger,  more  people  might  want  it  and  I  might  lose  it ;  and 
if  it  were  less,  how  could  I  afford  to  do  it  at  all  ?  So  I  am 
satisfied." 

"  But  you  ought  not  to  be  entirely  satisfied,"  said  Aria,  "  for 
the  clock  does  not  keep  good  time.  I  know  when  it  is  striking,  for 
it  has  a  very  jangling  sound,  and  it  is  the  most  irregular  clock  in 
Rondaine.  Sometimes  it  strikes  as  much  as  twenty-five  minutes 
after  the  hour,  and  very  often  it  does  not  strike  at  all." 

The  cobbler  looked  up  at  her  with  a  smile.  "  I  am  sorry,"  he 
said,  "  that  it  has  a  jangling  stroke,  but  the  fashioning  of  clocks  is 
not  my  trade,  and  I  could  not  mend  its  sound  with  awl,  hammer, 
or  waxed-end.  But  it  seems  to  me,  my  good  maiden,  that  you 
never  mended  a  pair  of  shoes." 

"  No,  indeed  ! "  said  Aria  ;  "  I  should  do  that  even  worse  than 
you  would  make  clocks." 

"  Never  having  mended  shoes,  then,"  said  the  cobbler,  "  you  do 
not  know  what  a  grievous  thing  it  is  to  have  twelve  o'clock,  or  six 
o'clock,  or  any  other  hour,  in  fact,  come  before  you  are  ready  for 
it.  Now,  I  don't  mind  telling  you,  because  I  know  you  are  too 
good  to  spoil  the  trade  of  a  hard-working  cobbler — and  shoemaker 
too,  whenever  he  gets  the  chance  to  be  one — that  when  I  have 
promised  a  customer  that  he  shall  have  his  shoes  or  his  boots  at  a 


THE  CLOCKS   OF  RONDAINE.  15 

f  certain  time  of  day,  and  that  time  is  drawing  near,  and  the  end  of 
the  job  is  still  somewhat  distant,  then  do  I  skip  up  the  stairway 
and  set  back  the  hands  of  the  clock  according  to  the  work  that  has 
to  be  done.  And  when  my  customer  comes  I  look  up  to  the  clock- 
face  and  I  say  to  him,  '  Glad  to  see  you  ! '  and  then  he  will  look  up 
at  the  clock  and  will  say,  '  Yes,  I  am  a  little  too  soon  ; '  and  then, 
as  likely  as  not,  he  will  sit  down  on  the  door-step  here  by  me  and 
talk  entertainingly ;  and  it  may  happen  that  he  will  sit  there  with- 
out grumbling  for  many  minutes  after  the  clock  has  pointed  out 
the  hour  at  which  the  shoes  were  promised.  Sometimes,  when  I 
have  been  much  belated  in  beginning  a  job,  I  stop  the  clock  alto- 
gether, for  you  can  well  see  for  yourself  that  it  would  not  do  to 
have  it  strike  eleven  when  it  is  truly  twelve.  And  so,  if  my  man 
be  willing  to  sit  down,  and  our  talk  be  very  entertaining,  the  clock 
being  above  him  where  he  cannot  see  it  without  stepping  outward 
from  the  house,  he  may  not  notice  that  it  is  stopped.  This 
expedient  once  served  me  very  well,  for  an  old  gentleman,  over- 
testy  and  over-punctual,  once  came  to  me  for  his  shoes,  and  looking 
up  at  the  clock,  which  I  had  prepared  for  him,  exclaimed,  *  Bless 
me  !  I  am  much  too  early ! '  And  he  sat  down  by  me  for  three- 
quarters  of  an  hour,  in  which  time  I  persuaded  him  that  his  shoes 
were  far  too  much  worn  to  be  worth  mending  any  more,  and  that 
he  should  have  a  new  pair,  which,  afterward,  I  made." 

"I  do  not  believe  it  is  right  for  you  to  do  that,"  said  Aria; 
"  but  even  if  you  think  so,  there  is  no  reason  why  your  clock 
should  go  wrong  at  night,  when  so  many  people  can  hear  it 
because  of  the  stillness." 

"Ah,  me! "said  the  cobbler,  "I  do  not  object  to  the  clock 
being  as  right  as  you  please  in  the  night ;  but  when  my  day's  work 
is  done,  I  so  desire  to  go  home  to  my  supper  that  I  often  forget 
to  put  the  clock  right,  or  to  set  it  going  if  it  is  stopped.  But  so 


16  THE  CLOCKS    OF  RONDAINE. 

many  things  stop  at  night — such  as  the  day  itself — and  so  many 
things  then  go  wrong — such  as  the  ways  of  evil-minded  people — 
that  I  think  you  truly  ought  to  pardon  my  poor  clock." 

"  Then  you  will  not  consent,"  said  Aria,  "  to  make  it  go 
right?" 

"  I  will  do  that  with  all  cheerfulness,"  answered  the  cobbler, 
pulling  out  a  pair  of  waxed-ends  with  a  great  jerk,  "  as  soon  as  I 
can  make  myself  go  right.  The  most  important  thing  should 
always  be  done  first ;  and,  surely,  I  am  more  important  than  a 
clock  !  "  And  he  smiled  with  great  good-humor. 

Aria  knew  that  it  would  be  of  no  use  to  stand  there  any  longer 
and  talk  with  this  cobbler.  Turning  to  go,  she  said  : 

"  When  I  bring  you  shoes  to  mend,  you  shall  finish  them  by 
my  clock,  and  not  by  yours." 

"  That  will  I,  my  good  little  Aria,"  said  the  cobbler,  heartily. 
"  They  shall  be  finished  by  any  clock  in  town,  and  five  minutes 
before  the  hour,  or  no  payment." 

Aria  now  walked  on  until  she  came  to  the  bridge  over  the 
river.  It  was  a  long,  covered  structure,  and  by  the  entrance  sat 
the  bridge-keeper. 

"  Do  you  know,  sir,"  said  she,  "  that  the  clock  at  this  end  of 
your  bridge  does  not  keep  the  same  time  as  the  one  at  the  other 
end  ?  They  are  not  so  very  different,  but  I  have  noticed  that  this 
one  is  always  done  striking  at  least  two  minutes  before  the  other 
begins." 

The  bridge-keeper  looked  at  her  with  one  eye,  which  was  all 
he  had. 

"  You  are  as  wrong  as  anybody  can  be,"  said  he.  "  I  do  not 
say  anything  about  the  striking,  because  my  ears  are  not  now  good 
enough  to  hear  the  clock  at  the  other  end  when  I  am  near  this 
one  ;  but  I  know  they  both  keep  the  same  time.  I  have  often 


THE  CLOCKS  OF  RONDAINE.  17 

looked  at  this  clock  and  have  then  walked  to  the  other  end  of  the 
bridge,  and  have  found  that  the  clock  there  was  exactly  like  it." 

Aria  looked  at  the  poor  old  man,  whose  legs  were  warmly 
swaddled  on  account  of  his  rheumatism,  and  said  : 

"  But  it  must  take  you  a  good  while  to  walk  to  the  other  end 
of  the  bridge." 

"  Out  upon  you  !  "  cried  the  bridge-keeper.  "  I  am  not  so  old 
as  that  yet !  I  can  walk  there  in  no  time  ! " 

Aria  now  crossed  the  bridge  and  went  a  short  distance  along  a 
country  road  until  she  came  to  the  great  stone  house  known  as 
Vougereau.  This  belonged  to  a  rich  family  who  seldom  came 
there,  and  the  place  was  in  charge  of  an  elderly  man  who  was  the 
brother  of  Aria's  mother.  When  his  niece  was  shown  into  a  room 
on  the  ground  floor,  which  served  for  his  parlor  and  his  office,  he 
was  very  glad  to  see  her  ;  and  while  Aria  was  having  something 
to  eat  and  drink  after  her  walk,  the  two  had  a  pleasant  chat. 

"  I  came  this  time,  Uncle  Anton,"  she  said,  "  not  only  to  see 
you,  but  to  tell  you  that  the  great  clock  in  your  tower  does  not 
keep  good  time." 

Uncle  Anton  looked  at  her  a  little  surprised. 

"  How  do  you  know  that,  my  dear?"  he  said. 

Then  Aria  told  him  how  she  had  lain  awake  in  the  early  morn- 
ing, and  had  heard  the  striking  of  the  different  clocks.  "  If  you 
wish  to  make  it  right,"  said  she,  "  I  can  give  you  the  proper  time, 
for  I  have  brought  my  own  little  clock  with  me." 

She  was  about  to  take  her  rose-clock  out  of  her  basket,  when 
her  uncle  motioned  to  her  not  to  do  so. 

"  Let  me  tell  you  something,"  said  he.  "  The  altering  of  the 
time  of  day,  which  you  speak  of  so  lightly,  is  a  very  serious 
matter,  which  should  be  considered  with  all  gravity.  If  you  set 
back  a  clock,  even  as  little  as  ten  minutes,  you  add  that  much  to 


18  THE  CLOCKS  OF  RONDAINE. 

the  time  that  has  passed.  The  hour  which  has  just  gone  by  has 
been  made  seventy  minutes  long.  Now,  no  human  being  has  the 
right  to  add  anything  to  the  past,  nor  to  make  hours  longer  than 
they  were  originally  made.  And,  on  the  other  hand,  if  you  set  a 
clock  forward  even  so  little  as  ten  minutes,  you  take  away  that 
much  from  the  future,  and  you  make  the  coming  hour  only  fifty 
minutes  long.  Now,  no  human  being  has  a  right  to  take  anything 
away  from  the  future,  or  to  make  the  hours  shorter  than  they 
were  originally  intended  to  be.  I  desire,  my  dear  niece,  that  you 
will  earnestly  think  over  what  I  have  said,  and  I  am  sure  that  you 
will  then  see  for  yourself  how  unwise  and  even  culpable  it  would 
be  to  trifle  with  the  length  of  the  hours'  which  make  up  our  day. 
And  now,  Aria,  let  us  talk  of  other  things." 

And  so  they  talked  of  other  things  until  Aria  thought  it  was 
time  to  go..  She  saw  there  was  something  wrong  in  her  uncle's 
reasoning,  although  she  could  not  tell  exactly  what  it  was,  and 
thinking  about  it,  she  slowly  returned  to  the  town.  As  she 
approached  the  house  of  the  little  old  lady  with  white  hair,  she 
concluded  to  stop  and  speak  to  her  about  her  clock.  "  She  will 
surely  be  willing  to  alter  that,"  said  Aria,  "  for  it  is  so  very  much 
out  of  the  way." 

The  old  lady  knew  who  Aria  was,  and  received  her  very 
kindly  ;  but  when  she  heard  why  the  young  girl  had  come  to  her, 
she  flew  into  a  passion. 

"  Never,  since  I  was  born,"  she  said,  "have  I  been  spoken  to 
like  this !  My  great-grandfather  lived  in  this  house  before  me  ; 
that  clock  was  good  enough  for  him !  My  grandfather  lived  in 
this  house  before  me  ;  that  clock  was  good  enough  for  him  !  My 
father  and  mother  lived  in  this  house  before  me  ;  that  clock  was 
good  enough  for  them  !  I  was  born  in  this  house,  have  always 
lived  in  it,  and  expect  to  die  in  it ;  that  clock  is  good  enough  for 


THE  CLOCKS  OF  RONDAINE.  19 

me  !  I  heard  its  strokes  when  I  was  but  a  little  child,  I  hope  to 
hear  them  at  my  last  hour ;  and  sooner  than  raise  my  hand  against 
the  clock  of  my  ancestors,  and  the  clock  of  my  whole  life,  I  would 
cut  off  that  hand  !  " 

Some  tears  came  into  Aria's  eyes  ;  she  was  a  little  frightened. 
11  I  hope  you  will  pardon  me,  good  madam,"  she  said,  "  for,  truly, 
I  did  not  wish  to  offend  you.  Nor  did  I  think  that  your  clock  is 
not  a  good  one.  I  only  meant  that  you  should  make  it  better  ;  it 
is  nearly  an  hour  out  of  the  way." 

The  sight  of  Aria's  tears  cooled  the  anger  of  the  little  old  lady 
with  white  hair.  "  Child,"  she  said,  "  you  do  not  know  what  you 
are  talking  about,  and  I  "forgive  you.  But  remember  this  :  never 
ask  persons  as  old  as  I  am  to  alter  the  principles  which  have  always 
made  clear  to  them  what  they  should  do,  or  the  clocks  which  have 
always  told  them  when  they  should  do  it." 

And,  kissing  Aria,  she  bade  her  good-by. 

"  Principles  may  last  a  great  while  without  altering,"  thought 
Aria,  as  she  went  away,  "  but  I  am  sure  it  is  very  different  with 
clocks." 

The  poor  girl  now  felt  a  good  deal  discouraged. 

"  People  don't  seem  to  care  whether  their  clocks  are  right  or 
not,"  she  said  to  herself,  "  and  if  they  don't  care,  I  am  sure  it  is  of 
no  use  for  me  to  tell  them  about  it.  If  even  one  clock  could  be 
made  to  go  properly,  it  might  help  to  make  the  people  of  Rondaine 
care  to  know  exactly  what  time  it  is.  Now,  there  is  that  iron 
donkey.  If  he  would  but  kick  at  the  right  hour  it  would  be  an 
excellent  thing,  for  he  kicks  so  hard  that  he  is  heard  all  over  the 
town." 

Determined  to  make  this  one  more  effort,  Aria  walked  quickly 
to  the  town-building,  at  the  top  of  which  was  the  clock  with  the 
iron  donkey.  This  building  was  a  sort  of  museum ;  it  had  a 


2o  THE  CLOCKS  OF  RONDAINE. 

great  many  curious  things  in  it,  and  it  was  in  charge  of  a  very 
ingenious  man,  who  was  learned  and  skilful  in  various  ways. 

When  Aria  had  informed  the  superintendent  of  the  museum 
why  she  had  come  to  him,  he  did  not  laugh  at  her  nor  did  he  get 
angry.  He  was  accustomed  to  giving  earnest  consideration  to 
matters  of  this  sort,  and  he  listened  attentively  to  all  that  Aria 
had  to  say. 

"You  must  know,"  he  said,  "that  our  iron  donkey  is  a  very 
complicated  piece  of  mechanism.  Not  only  must  he  kick  out  the 
hours,  but  five  minutes  before  doing  so  he  must  turn  his  head 
around  and  look  at  the  bell  behind  him  ;  and  then,  when  he  has 
done  kicking,  he  must  put  his  head  back  into  its  former  position. 
All  this  action  requires  a  great  many  wheels  and  cogs  and  springs 
and  levers,  and  these  cannot  be  made  to  move  with  absolute  regular- 
ity. When  it  is  cold,  some  of  his  works  contract ;  and  when  it  is 
warm,  they  expand  ;  and  there  are  other  reasons  why  he  is  very 
likely  to  lose  or  gain  time.  At  noon  on  every  bright  day  I  set 
him  right,  being  able  to  get  the  correct  time  from  a  sun-dial  which 
stands  in  the  courtyard.  But  his  works — which  I  am  sorry  to  say 
are  not  well  made — are  sure  to  get  a  great  deal  out  of  the  way 
before  I  set  him  again." 

"  Then,  if  there  are  several  cloudy  or  rainy  days  together,  he 
goes  Very  wrong  indeed,"  said  Aria. 

•'Yes,  he  truly  does,"  replied  the  superintendent,  "and  I  am 
sorry  for  it.  But  there  is  no  way  to  remedy  his  irregularities 
except  for  me  to  make  him  all  over  again  at  my  own*  expense,  and 
that  is  something  I  cannot  afford  to  do.  The  clock  belongs  to 
the  town,  and  I  am  sure  the  citizens  will  not  be  willing  to  spend 
the;  money  necessary  for  a  new  donkey-clock;  for,  so  far  as  I 
know,  every  person  but  yourself  is  perfectly  satisfied  with  this 


one."' 


THE  CLOCKS   OF  RONDAINE.  21 

"  I  suppose  so,"  said  Aria,  with  a  sigh  ;  ''but  it  really  is  a  great 
pity  that  every  striking-clock  in  Rondaine  should  be  wrong  ! " 

"But  how  do  you  know  they  are  all  wrong  ?  "  asked  the  super- 
intendent. 

"  Oh,  that  is  easy  enough,"  said  Aria.  "  When  I  lie  awake 
in  the  early  morning,  when  all  else  is  very  still,  I  listen  to  their 
striking,  and  then  I  look  at  my  own  rose-clock  to  see  what  time  it 
really  is." 

"Your  rose-clock?"  said  the  superintendent. 

"  This  is  it,"  said  Aria,  opening  her  basket  and  taking  out  her 
little  clock. 

The  superintendent  took  it  into  his  hands  and  looked  at  it 
attentively,  both  outside  and  inside.  And  then,  still  holding  it, 
he  stepped  out  into  the  courtyard.  When  in  a  few  moments 
he  returned,  he  said  : 

"  I  have  compared  your  clock  with  my  sun-dial,  and  find  that 
it  is  ten  minutes  slow.  I  also  see  that,  like  the  donkey-clock,  its 
works  are  not  adjusted  in  such  a  way  as  to  be  unaffected  by  heat 
and  cold." 

"  My — clock — ten — minutes — slow  !  "  exclaimed  Aria,  with  wide- 
open  eyes. 

"  Yes,"  said  the  superintendent,  "  that  is  the  case  to-day,  and  on 
some  days  it  is,  probably,  a  great  deal  too  fast.  Such  a  clock  as 
this — which  is  a  very  ingenious  and  beautiful  one — ought  fre- 
quently to  be  compared  with  a  sun-dial  or  other  correct  time- 
keeper, and  set  to  the  proper  hour.  I  see  it  requires  a  peculiar 
key  with  which  to  set  it.  Have  you  brought  this  with  you  ?" 

"  No,  sir,"  said  Aria  ;  "  I  did  not  suppose  it  would  be 
needed." 

"  Well,  then,"  said  the  superintendent,  "  you  can  set  it  forward 
ten  minutes  when  you  reach  home ;  and  if  to-morrow  morning  you 


22  THE  CLOCKS   OF  RONDAINE. 

compare  the  other  clocks  with  it,  I  think  you  will  find  that  not  all 
of  them  are  wrong." 

Aria  sat  quiet  for  a  moment,  and  then  she  said  :  "  I  think  I 
shall  not  care  any  more  to  compare  the  clocks  of  Rondaine  with 
my  little  rose-clock.  If  the  people  are  satisfied  with  their  own 
clocks,  whether  they  are  fast  or  slow,  and  do  not  desire  to  know 
exactly  when  Christmas  Day  begins,  I  can  do  nobody  any  good  by 
listening  to  the  different  strikings  and  then  looking  at  my  own  little 
clock,  with  a  night-lamp  by  it." 

"  Especially,"  said  the  superintendent,  with  a  smile,  "when  you 
are  not  sure  that  your  rose-clock  is  right.  But  if  you  will  bring 
here  your  little  clock  and  your  key  on  any  day  when  the  sun  is 
shining,  I  will  set  it  to  the  time  shadowed  on  the  sun-dial,  or  show 
you  how  to  do  it  yourself." 

"  Thank  you  very  much,"  said  Aria,  and  she  took  her  leave. 

As  she  walked  home,  she  lifted  the  lid  of  her  basket  and  looked 
at  her  little  rose-clock.  "  To  think  of  it  !  "  she  said.  "  That  you 
should  be  sometimes  too  fast  and  sometimes  too  slow !  And, 
worse  than  that,  to  think  that  some  of  the  other  clocks  have  been 
right  and  you  have  been  wrong !  But  I  do  not  feel  like  altering 
you  to-day.  If  you  go  fast  sometimes,  and  slow  sometimes,  you 
must  be  right  sometimes,  and  one  of  these  days,  when  I  take  you 
to  be  compared  with  the  sun-dial,  perhaps  you  will  not  have  to  be 
altered  so  much." 

Aria  went  to  bed  that  night  quite  tired  with  her  long  walks,  and 
when  she  awoke  it  was  broad  daylight.  "  I  do  not  know,"  she  said 
to  herself,  "exactly  when  Christmas  began,  but  I  am  very  sure  that 
the  happy  day  is  here." 

"Do  you  lie  awake  in  the  morning  as  much  as  you  used  to?" 
asked  Aria's  mother,  a  few  weeks  after  the  Christmas  holidays. 

"No,  mother,  dear,"  said  Aria;   "I  now  sleep  with  one  of  my 


THE  CLOCKS  OF  RONDAINE.  '  23 

windows  shut,  and  I  am  no  longer  awakened  by  that  chilly  feeling 
which  used  to  come  to  me  in  the  early  morning,  when  I  would  draw 
the  bed-covers  close  about  me  and  think  how  wrong  were  the  clocks 
of  Rondaine." 

And  the  little  rose-clock  never  went  to  be  compared  with  the 
sun-dial.  "  Perhaps  you  are  right  now,"  Aria  would  say  to  her 
clock  each  day  when  the  sun  shone,  "  and  I  will  not  take  you  until 
some  time  when  I  feel  very  sure  that  you  are  wrong." 


THE  CURIOUS   HISTORY  OF  A  MESSAGE. 


THE  winter  in  which  the  events  of  this  history  occurred  opened 
very  disagreeably.     The  cold  was  not  intense  nor  the  snows 
deep,  but  it  was  a  sloppy,   sleety,  slippery  December,   in 
which  one  could  expect  neither  good  ice  nor  good  sleighing. 

The  probabilities  of  an  unseasonable 
Christmas  were  very  much  discussed  by 
the  members  of  a  family  named  Kinton, 
who  lived  in  a  country  house  about  thirty 
miles  from  New  York.  Mrs.  Kinton  was 
a  widow,  and  her  family  was  made  up 
of  herself  and  three  daughters,  whose 
ages  ranged  from  seventeen  to  six.  Her 
brother,  Mr.  Rodney  Carr,  was  very 
often  with  them,  but  his  presence  was 
not  at  all  to  be  depended  upon. 

The  two  older  girls,  Elinor  and  Maud, 
were  generally  ready  to  enjoy  Christmas 
in  any  weather  and  in  any  place ;  but 
this  year  the  prospect  of  a  Christmas  at 

home  appeared  extremely  distasteful  to  them,  on  account  of  a  cer- 
tain other  prospect  that  had  been  held  out  to  them  by  their  Uncle 
Rodney.  This  uncle  was  a  generous  man,  and  always  glad  to  pro- 
mote the  pleasure  of  his  nieces ;  and  early  in  this  winter  he  had 


THE  CURIOUS  HISTORY  OF  A   MESSAGE.  25 

made  them  a  half-promise  of  something  which  Mrs.  Kinton  thought 
he  should  have  said  nothing  about  until  he  had  felt  himself  able  to 
make  a  whole  promise.  He  had  gone  to  California  upon  business; 
and,  before  starting,  had  told  Elinor  and  Maud  that,  if  a  certain 
enterprise  proved  successful,  he  would  make  them  a  Christmas 
present  of  a  trip  to  the  Bermudas.  This  unusual  gift  had  been 
suggested  to  him  by  the  fact  that  the  most  intimate  friends  of 
Elinor  and  Maud,  the  two  Sanderson  girls,  who  spent  their  win- 
ters in  New  York,  were  going  with  their  mother  to  the  Bermu- 
das for  their  Christmas  holidays  ;  and  Mrs.  Sanderson  had  told 
him  that  she  would  be  very  glad  if  his  nieces  could  go  with  them. 

The  state  of  mind  of  the  Kinton  girls  can  easily  be  imagined. 
A  Christmas  in  the  Bermudas — two  weeks  of  balmy  air,  warm 
sunshine,  oranges,  bananas,  pineapples,  roses  in  the  open  air  !  It 
made  them  wild  to  talk  about  it  ! 

Christmas  was  coming  nearer  and  nearer,  when  a  letter  was 
received  from  Uncle  Rodney  ;  and  he,  it  appeared,  was  also  coming 
nearer  and  nearer.  He  was  on  his  way  from  California;  and,  to  the 
surprise  of  the  Kinton  family,  he  was  also  on  his  way  to  England. 
The  business  which  took  him  there,  he  wrote,  was  pressing  ;  and 
as  he  wished  to  catch  a  certain  steamer,  it  would  be  impossible  for 
him  to  stop  to  see  his  relatives.  He  had  not  yet  decided  the 
important  question  of  a  trip  to  the  Bermudas  ;  but  on  the  way  he 
would  make  some  calculations,  and  see  whether  or  not  he  would  be 
able  to  give  them  this  pleasure,  and,  as  he  would  pass  through 
Aftor,;  their  railroad  station,  where  the  train  stopped  for  a  few 
minutes,  he  would  send  them  his  decision  by  telephone. 

The  Kinton  house,  like  several  other  residences  in  the  neigh- 
borhood, was  connected  with  the  railroad  station,  about  four  miles 
distant,  by  a  telephone  wire  ;  and  communication  in  this  way  was 
often  very  useful,  especially  in  bad  weather. 


26  THE  CURIOUS  HISTORY  OF  A    MESSAGE. 

At  first  the  girls  declared  that  they  would  wait  for  no  telephone, 
but  would  go  to  the  station  and  see  Uncle  Rodney,  if  it  were  only 
for  a  minute  ;  but  on  consulting  a  time-table  of  the  railroad  they 
found  that  the  train  on  which  their  uncle  would  travel  would  reach 
Afton  very  early  in  the  morning  ;  and  Mrs.  Kinton  put  a  veto  upon 
the  proposition  to  take  the  long  drive  at  such  an  unseasonable 
hour.  Consequently  there  was  nothing  to  do  but  to  wait  for  the 
day  on  which  Uncle  Rodney  had  said  he  would  pass  through 
Afton,  and  be  ready  at  the  telephone  at  the  proper  time. 

On  the  day  after  the  receipt  of  this  letter  there  came  to  the 
Kinton  house  a  pleasant,  little,  middle-aged  gentleman,  who 
received  a  hearty  welcome  from  every  member  of  the  family. 
This  was  Professor  Cupper,  an  old  friend  and  a  man  of  science. 
It  was  his  custom,  whenever  he  felt  like  it,  to  spend  a  few  days 
with  the  Kintons.  Seasons  and  weather  made  no  difference  to 
him.  Friends  were  friends  at  any  time  of  the  year ;  and  weather 
which  might  be  bad  for  ordinary  purposes  was  often  very  suitable 
for  scientific  investigations. 

Of  course  the  professor  was  soon  made  acquainted  with  the 
exciting  state  of  affairs,  in  which  he  immediately  took  an  animated 
interest.  He  well  knew  what  winter-time  was  in  the  Bermudas. 
He  knew  how  his  dear  young  friends  would  enjoy  Christmas 
among  the  roses  and  the  palmettos  ;  and  he  talked  so  enthusiasti- 
cally about  the  land  of  flowers  that  the  girls  were  filled  with 
a  wilder  impatience,  and  even  their  mother  admitted  that  she 
was  beginning  to  be  nervously  anxious  to  know  what  Rodney 
would  say.  If  the  girls  were  to  be  in  the  Bermudas  before  Christ- 
mas, it  was  necessary  to  know  the  fact  soon,  for  certain  prep- 
arations would  have  to  be  made.  If  Rodney  were  not  such  a 
queer  sort  of  fellow,  she  said,  he  would  have  made  up  his  mind 
days  ago,  and  would  have  written  or  telegraphed  his  decision. 


ELINOR    AND    MAUD. 


THE  CURIOUS  HISTORY  OF  A   MESSAGE.  29 

But  this  sort  of  touch-and-go  communication  suited  his  fancies 
exactly. 

The  eventful  morning  arrived.  Before  it  was  yet  light  the 
two  girls  were  up,  dressed,  and  at  the  telephone.  They  had  no 
reason  to  expect  the  message  so  soon  ;  but  the  train  might  be 
ahead  of  time,  and  Uncle  Rodney  might  have  but  half  a  minute 
in  which  to  say  what  he  had  to  tell  them.  On  no  account  must 
the  telephone  bell  ring  without  some  one  being  there  to  give  an 
instant  response. 

Consequently  the  Kinton  girls,  even  little  Ruth,  were  at  the 
instrument,  where  Professor  Cupper  speedily  made  his  appearance, 
and  not  long  afterward  Mrs.  Kinton  joined  the  expectant  group. 

The  moment  arrived  at  which  the  message  could  reasonably  be 
expected.  All  were  in  a  tingle  !  The  moment  passed ;  it  became 
long  past.  The  girls  looked  aghast  at  each  other  !  What  had 
happened  ?  Even  the  ruddy  face  of  the  professor  seemed  to  pale 
a  little.  He  stepped  to  the  instrument  and  sounded  the  signal. 
No  answer  came.  He  sounded  again  and  again,  with  like  result. 
For  ten  or  fifteen  minutes  he  called  and  rang  without  response. 

"  What  can  possibly  be  the  matter?"  cried  Elinor  "  Is  every  ^ 
body  dead  or  asleep  at  the  station  ? " 

"Not  likely,"  said  the  professor.  "  But  it  is  likely  that  your 
wire  is  broken." 

At  this  announcement  the  girls  broke  into  lamentations. 
Uncle  Rodney  must  have  arrived  and  departed,  and  the  words 
which  he  had  undoubtedly  spoken  into  the  telephone  at  the 
station  had  been  lost !  Now,  how  could  they  know  what  their 
uncle  had  decided  upon  ?  How  could  they  know  whether  he  in- 
tended them  to  go  to  the  Bermudas  or  not  ?  He  was  to  sail  from 
New  York  that  day,  but  he  had  not  informed  them  what  steamer 
he  intended  to  take,  and  they  did  not  know  where  to  send  a  tele- 


3o  THE  CURIOUS  HISTORY  OF  A   MESSAGE. 

gram.  He  had  asked  them  to  write  to  him  in  the  care  of  a  banker 
in  London  ;  but  if  they  were  to  send  a  letter  after  him,  it  would 
be  so  long  before  they  could  get  an  answer  to  it  !  Even  a  message 
by  cable  would  not  be  much  better,  for  he  would  not  receive  it 
long  before  he  would  receive  a  letter.  There  was  absolutely  noth- 
ing which  they  could  do. 

This  mournful  conclusion  weighed  heavily  upon  the  whole 
family.  Even  little  Ruth,  who  did  not  exactly  understand  the  state 
of  affairs,  looked  as  if  she  were  about  to  cry. 

"  I  should  have  liked  it  better,"  exclaimed  Maud,  "  if  Uncle 
Rodney  had  told  us  we  could  not  go  ;  but  to  hear,  after  the  holi- 
days are  over,  that  we  might  have  gone,  would  be  simply  too  hard 
to  bear." 

"  As  soon  as  I  have  had  some  breakfast,"  said  the  professor, 
"  I  will  go  the  station — if  Mrs.  Kinton  will  give  me  a  conveyance 
—and  I  will  find  out  what  has  happened." 

"  And  we  will  go  with  you  !  "  cried  Elinor  and  Maud. 

After  a  hasty  breakfast  the  professor  and  the  two  girls  set  out 
in  a  sleigh  for  Afton.  The  snow  was  soft  and  not  very  deep,  and 
the  roadway  beneath  was  rough  ;  but  notwithstanding  the  bumps 
and  jolts,  and  the  occasional  blood-curdling  gratings  of  the  runners 
upon  bare  places,  the  impatient  girls  urged  George,  the  driver,  to 
keep  his  horses  on  their  fastest  trot. 

When  they  were  about  half-way  to  the  station  the  professor 
cried  out  •„ 

"  Hi  !  there  it  is  !     The  line  is  broken  !  " 

All  looked  around  and  could  see  plainly  enough  that  the  wire 
had  parted  near  one  of  the  poles,  and  that  part  of  it  was  resting 
on  the  ground.  But  it  was  of  no  use  to  stop  ;  they  were  in  a 
hurry  to  reach  Afton  to  learn  if  Uncle  Rodney  had  been  there, 
and  if  he  had  left  a  message. 


THE  CURIOUS  HISTORY  OF  A   MESSAGE.  31 


When  they  reached  the  railroad  station  they  found  that  Mr. 
Carr  had  arrived  on  time  ;  that  he  had  telephoned  to  his  sister's 
house  ;  and  that  he  had  gone.  The  station-master  told  them  that 
he  had  been  outside,  and  had  not  heard  what  Mr.  Carr  had  said, 
but  that  he  thought  it  probable,  since  he  had  a  very  short  time  in 
which  to  say  anything,  that  he  had  rung  the  bell,  and,  without 
waiting  for  an  answering  ring,  had  delivered  his  message. 

u  That  is  very  likely,"  said  the  professor,  "  for  Mr.  Carr  knew 
that  his  nieces  were  expecting  to  hear  from  him  at  the  moment 
the  train  arrived  here,  and  that  they  would,  therefore,  be  ready  at 
their  telephone.  But  as  the  line  was  broken,  of  course  the  mes- 
sage never  reached  them." 

Very  much  dispirited,  the  little  party  drove  home.  The  girls 
had  been  buoying  themselves  up  with  the  hope  that  Uncle  Rod- 
ney knew  that  the  wire  was  broken,  and  had  left  a  message  for 
them  at  the  station  ;  but,  instead  of  this,  he  had  gone  away  in  the 
belief  that  he  had  communicated  with  them,  and  would,  therefore, 
do  no  more.  Now  they  could  not  expect  to  hear  from  him  until 
he  reached  England,  and  it  would  then  be  too  late.  The  kindly 
nature  of  the  professor  was  affected  by  this  disappointment  of  his 
young  friends  ;  and  the  thought  came  to  him  that,  had  he  been 
rich  enough,  he  would  himself  have  made  them  a  present  of  a 
trip  to  the  Bermudas.  Even  George,  the  driver,  who  knew  all 
about  the  affair,  and  was  deeply  interested  in  it,  wore  a  doleful 
face. 

They  drove  slowly  homeward,  and  when  they  reached  the 
place  where  the  wire  had  been  broken  the  professor  asked 
George  to  stop,  and  he  got  out  to  take  a  look  into  the  condi- 
tion of  affairs.  There  was  no  real  need  that  he  should  do  this, 
for,  of  course,  he  could  not  repair  the  damage,  and  the  station- 
master  had  promised  to  attend  to  that.  But  he  had  an  invest!- 


32  THE  CURIOUS  HISTORY  OF  A  MESSAGE. 

gating  mind,  and  he  wished  to  find  out  just  how  the  accident  had 
happened. 

It  was  easy  enough  to  see  how  the  wire  had  been  broken.     A 


"V 


tall  tree  stood  near  the  spot, 
and  from  this  a  heavy  dead 
limb  had  fallen,  which  must 
have  struck  the  wire  ;  this  had 
been  broken  off  close  to  one 
of  the  poles,  and  from  the  sup- 
porting insulator  near  the  top 
of  the  pole  an  end  of  the  wire, 
an  inch  or  two  in  length,  pro- 
jected. From  looking  up  at 
the  damaged  wire,  the  profes- 
sor glanced  down  the  pole,  and 
when  his  eyes  rested  upon  the  ground  he  saw  there,  lying  on  the 
frozen  crust  of  the  snow,  a  little  dead  bird,  its  wings  partly  out- 
spread. 


THE  PROFESSOR  WISHED  TO  FIND  OUT  JUST 
HOW    THE    ACCIDENT    HAD    HAPPENED. 


THE   CURIOUS   HISTORY  OF  A   Jf£SSAG£.  35 

The  professor  stepped  quickly  to  the  pole,  and,  stooping, 
regarded  the  bird.  Then  he  stood  up,  stepped  back  a  little  and 
looked  up  at  the  broken  wire.  After  which  he  advanced  toward 
the  bird,  and  looked  down  at  it.  From  these  observations  he  was 
called  away  by  the  girls,  who  wished  to  know  what  he  was  look- 
ing at. 

Without  answering,  the  professor  carefully  picked  up  the  bird, 
and  returned  to  the  sleigh. 

"It  is  a  poor  little  dead  bird  !  "  exclaimed  Maud  ;  "a  dead, 
frozen  bird  !  " 

"  Yes,"  said  the  professor,  "  that  is  what  it  is."  And,  resum- 
ing his  seat,  they  moved  on. 

For  the  rest  of  the  way  the  professor  did  not  talk  much  ;  and 
when  they  reached  the  house,  without  taking  off  his  hat,  coat,  or 
overshoes,  he  sat  down  on  a  chair  in  the  hall  and  steadfastly 
regarded  the  bird,  which  lay  in  his  outspread  hands. 

Mrs.  Kinton,  with  Ruth,  came  hurrying  down-stairs.  "  Did  you 
discover  anything  ?  "  she  asked. 

Maud  was  about  to  speak  when  the  professor  interrupted. 
"  Yes,"  he  said,  delivering  his  words  slowly  and  with  earnestness, 
"  I  think  I  have  discovered  something.  I  have  reason  to  believe 
that  the  message  sent  by  Rodney  Carr  is  in  this  bird." 

Exclamations  of  amazement  burst  from  all  his  hearers.  "What 
do  you  mean  ?  "  cried  Mrs.  Kinton. 

"  I  will  tell  you,"  said  the  professor.  And  they  all  gathered 
around  him,  gazing  with  astonished  eyes  at  the  bird  which  he 
held.  "  By  a  falling  limb,"  he  said,  "your  telephone  wire  was 
broken  close  to  the  glass  insulator  on  one  of  the  poles,  and  on  the 
side  of  the  pole  nearest  this  house.  At  the  bottom  of  the  pole% 
directly  under  the  fracture,  I  found  this  dead  bird.  Now,  my 
theory  is  this.  The  limb  probably  fell  during  the  high  wind  of 


34  THE  CURIOUS  HISTORY  OF  A    MESSAGE. 

last  night.  The  bird,  taking  an  early  morning  flight,  alighted  on 
the  broken  end  of  the  wire,  which  projected  a  little  from  the  pole 
after  the  manner  of  a  twig.  While  settling  on  this  slight  perch, 
and  probably  fluttering  its  wings  as  it  took  its  position,  Mr.  Carr 
sent  his  message  along  the  wire. 

"If  the  end  had  merely  projected  into  the  air,  there  would 
have  been  no  circuit,  and  no  message  :  but  the  bird's  little  feet 
were  on  the  wire,  one  of  his  fluttering  wings  probably  touched  the 
pole  or  the  block,  a  connection  with  the  earth  was  made,  and  the 
message  passed  into  the  bird.  The  little  creature  was  instantly 
killed,  and  dropped  to  the  ground,  its  wings  still  outspread." 

"  Do  you  mean,"  cried  Elinor,  "  that  you  believe  Uncle  Rod- 
ney's message  is  now  in  that  bird  ?" 

"  Yes,"  said  the  professor,  his  eyes  sparkling  as  he  spoke,  "  I 
believe,  or,  at  least,  I  strongly  conjecture,  that  your  uncle's  mes- 
sage is  now  in  that  curious  complication  of  electric  threads  which 
is  diffused  through  the  body  of  a  bird,  as  it  is  through  that  of  a 
man,  and  which  is  known  as  the  nervous  system." 

Mrs.  Kinton  and  her  eldest  daughter  were  too  surprised  to  say 
a  word,  but  Maud  exclaimed  : 

"  A  dead  bird  with  a  message  in  his  nervous  system  is  of  no 
good  to  anybody  !  Oh,  you  poor  little  thing,  not  only  dead,  but 
frozen,  if  you  could  but  wake  up  and  tell  us  whether  Uncle  Rod- 
ney said  we  were  to  go  to  the  Bermudas  or  not  to  go,  you  would 
be  the  dearest  and  best  bird  in  the  world  !  " 

"  I  have  been  considering  this  matter  very  earnestly,"  said 
Professor  Cupper,  "  and  I  am  going  to  try  to  get  that  message  out 
of  the  bird.  If  its  nervous  system  is  charged  with  the  modulated 
electric  current  produced  by  your  uncle's  words,  I  do  not  see 
why  those  modulations  should  not  be  transferred  to  a  delicate 
electrical  machine,  which  should  record  or  repeat  the  message, 


THE  CURIOUS  HISTORY  OF  A    MESSAGE.  35 

faintly  perhaps,  but  with  force  enough  for  us  to  determine  its 
purport." 

"  If  you  can  do  that,"  said  Elinor,  "  it  will  be  a  miracle  ! " 

Mrs.  Kinton's  mind  was  in  a  state  of  bewilderment.  She  could 
not  readily  put  full  faith  in  what  the  professor  had  said,  and  yet 
science  had  done  so  many  wonderful  things,  and  the  professor  him- 
self had  done  so  many  wonderful  things,  that  she  could  not  bring 
herself  to  entirely  doubt  him  ;  so  she  gave  up  all  attempts  to  com- 
prehend the  matter,  and  went  away  to  attend  to  her  household 
duties.  At  any  rate,  his  efforts  to  get  a  telephone  message  out  of 
a  bird  could  hurt  nobody,  and  if  he  succeeded  in  interesting  and 
diverting  her  daughters  it  would  be  a  positive  benefit. 

The  girls  plied  the  professor  with  questions,  and  the  more  he 
discussed  the  subject  the  more  firmly  he  became  persuaded  that  it 
would  be  a  crime  against  science  to  allow  this  great  and  unique 
opportunity  to  pass  unimproved. 

He  did  not  take  off  his  hat  and  coat  at  all ;  but,  calling  to  Mrs. 
Kinton,  he  earnestly  requested  her  to  send  him  to  the  station  in 
time  to  take  the  next  train  to  New  York.  There  he  would  pro- 
cure the  electrical  appliances  which  he  needed,  and  return  to  her 
house  in  the  evening,  or,  at  the  latest,  the  next  morning. 

Of  course  the  professor  went  to  New  York,  for  everybody 
could  see  that  he  must  not  be  thwarted  in  this  most  important 
investigation.  He  would  have  taken  the  bird  with  him,  to  try  his 
experiments  on  it  in  the  city,  but  apart  from  the  fear  that  the 
electrical  conditions  of  the  little  thing's  nervous  system  might  be 
disturbed  by  the  journey,  he  was  determined  that  the  girls  should 
hear  their  uncle's  message  the  moment  it  was  reproduced,  if, 
indeed,  he  should  be  able  to  reproduce  it  at  all. 

How  this  message  was  to  be  made  known,  whether  by  means  of 
a  phonograph  or  a  graphophone,  or  some  other  electric  appliance, 


36  THE   CURIOUS  HISTORY  OF  A    MESSAGE. 

the  professor  did  not  say.  He  was  going  to  consult  with  some 
scientific  brethren,  and  they  would  help  him  to  determine  what 
sort  of  experiments  ought  to  be  tried.  He  would  bring  back  with 
him  the  necessary  instruments,  and  perhaps  also  one  or  more  of 
his  learned  friends,  for  this  was  a  matter  in  which  he  was  sure 
all  scientific  minds  would  be  interested. 

The  bird  whose  nervous  system,  according  to  Professor 
Cupper's  belief,  was  charged  with  the  electric  message  in  which 
Elinor  and  Maud  took  so  deep  an  interest,  was  left  with  these  two 
girls  by  the  professor,  with  injunctions  to  take  the  best  of  care  of 
it.  Accordingly  they  carried  it  into  an  unused  upper  room,  and 
there  it  was  gently  placed  upon  a  small  table  ;  and  when  they  went 
out  they  carefully  closed  the  door,  in  order  that  no  cat  or  other 
enemy  should  disturb  or  injure  what  Maud  called  "  the  ornitho- 
logical depository  of  their  fate." 

The  direct  interest  of  little  Ruth  in  this  affair  was  not  great, 
for  there  was-  no  idea  of  her  going  to  the  Bermudas.  But  she  had 
heard  what  had  been  said  about  this  mysterious  bird,  and  although 
she  did  not  understand  it,  that  did  not  at  all  interfere  with  her 
curiosity  and  desire  to  have  an  undisturbed  look  at  the  little 
creature  which  had  been  choked  to  death  by  a  message  from  her 
Uncle  Rodney,  who,  she  thought,  should  not  have  spoken  so  loud  if 
there  was  any  danger  of  a  little  bird  being  at  the  other  end  of  the 
wire. 

She  went  up-stairs  and  entered  the  room,  and  as  she  was  a  care- 
ful little  girl,  she  shut  the  door  behind  her.  Then  she  drew  a 
chair  up  to  the  table,  and,  leaning  upon  it,  earnestly  regarded  the 
bird.  So  far  as  she  could  see,  there  was  nothing  the  matter  with 
it  except  that  it  was  dead  ;  and  she  knew  very  well  that  in  various 
ways  and  manners  a  great  many  birds  do  become  dead.  There 
seemed  to  her  nothing  very  peculiar  in  the  condition  of  this  one. 


THE  CURIOUS  HISTORY  OF  A    MESSAGE.  37 

Presently,  however,  she  observed  something  which  did  seem  to 
her  to  be  peculiar.  She  drew  back  from  the  table,  let  her  hands 
fall  in  her  lap,  and  a  thoughtful  expression  came  into  her  face. 

"  Do  dead  birds  wink?"  she  softly  said  to  herself. 

It  seemed  as  if  this  were  really  the  case,  for  while  she  spoke 
one  eye  of  the  bird  was,  for  the  second  time,  slowly  opened  and 
quickly  shut.  While  she  was  pondering  upon  this  strange  occur- 
rence a  momentary  tremor  passed  through  the  body  of  the  bird. 
It  was  very  slight,  but  her  young  eyes  were  sharp. 

"  It  is  shivering,"  she  said.      "  Poor  thing!    it  must  be  cold  !" 

She  glanced  at  the  window  and  saw  that  one  of  the  upper 
sashes  had  been  lowered.  This  had  been  done  by  her  sisters,  who 
had  thought  the  room  too  warm.  She  went  to  the  window  and 
found  that,  even  standing  on  a  chair,  she  could  not  push  up  the 
sash. 

Then  another  idea  entered  her  mind.  She  went  to  her  own 
little  room,  which  was  on  the  same  floor,  and  brought  back  with 
her  her  dolls  bed  and  bedstead.  She  knew  perfectly  well  what  a 
fond  mother  should  do  to  warm  a  doll  who  was  too  cold.  She  put 
the  bedstead  on  the  floor,  away  from  the  window  ;  then  she  took 
off  the  two  little  blankets,  and,  opening  the  register,  laid  them 
upon  it.  When  they  were  thoroughly  warmed  she  took  them  to 
the  bed,  and,  having  arranged  everything  very  neatly,  she  went  to 
the  table,  tenderly  picked  up  the  poor,  cold  little  bird,  and  carry- 
ing it  to  the  bed,  snugly  tucked  it  in  between  the  blankets. 

Ruth  now  seated  herself  upon  the  floor  near  by  to  watch  over 
her  little  charge,  and  very  soon  she  saw  a  decided  shaking  between 
the  blankets. 

"  It  keeps  on  being  cold,"  she  said.  And  taking  up  a  little 
down  quilt  which  was  used  by  her  doll  only  in  very  cold  weather, 
she  placed  that  over  the  bird. 


THE  CURIOUS  HISTORY  OF  A   MESSAGE. 


This  additional  covering,  however,  did  not  seem  to  have  any 
effect  in  quieting  the  little  creature.  From  shaking,  it  began  to 
struggle.  In  a  few  moments  one  wing  was  almost  entirely  out  from 
under  the  covering  and  exposed  to  the  air ;  and  while  Ruth  was 
endeavoring  to  put  back 
this  wing  the  other  one 
came  out,  and  then  one 
leg.  When  she  felt  the 
sharp  little  claws  on  her 
hand  she  was  startled, 
although  they  did  not 
hurt  her,  and  involun- 
tarily drew  back.  In  a 
moment  the  bird  wrig- 
gled itself  out  from 
between  the  blankets. 
Then  it  hopped  into  the 
middle  of  the  bed,  and  as 
Ruth  put  out  her  hand 
to  catch  it,  it  spread  its 
wings  and  flew  to  the 
back  of  a  chair. 

Ruth  started  to  her 
feet,  and  as  she  did  so 
the  bird  flew  from  the 
chair  and  began  circling 
around  and  around  the 

room.  The  little  girl  did  not  know  what  to  do.  She  felt  that  the 
bird  ought  to  be  caught,  or  that  somebody  ought  to  be  called  ;  but 
before  she  had  decided  upon  any  further  action  the  bird  perceived 
the  open  window,  and,  darting  through  it,  was  lost  to  her  view. 


THE    BIRD    BEGAN    CIRCLING    AROUND    THE    ROOM. 


THE  CURIOUS  HISTORY  OF  A   MESSAGE.  39 

Tears  now  came  into  the  eyes  of  the  little  girl,  and  slowly  she 
went  down-stairs  and  told  what  had  happened.  Elinor  and  Maud 
were  shocked  and  distressed,  and  even  their  mother  was  truly 
grieved.  No  matter  how  things  resulted,  it  would  be  a  great 
disappointment  to  the  professor  not  to  be  able  to  try  his  experi- 
ments. Ruth  was  too  young  to  be  blamed  very  much  for  doing 
what  she  thought  was  an  act  of  kindness,  but  the  girls  found 
great  fault  with  themselves  for  not  having  locked  the  door  of  the 
room. 

"  As  it  was  likely  that  the  bird  was  merely  stunned  by  the  elec- 
tric current,  and  frozen  stiff  as  it  lay  upon  the  snow,"  said  Elinor, 
"  it  might  have  been  easier  for  the  professor  to  get  at  the  message 
than  if  it  were  really  dead.  A  live  nervous  system,  I  should  think, 
would  be  more  likely  to  retain  an  electrical  impression  than  a 
dead  one." 

"  Don't  talk  that  way,"  cried  Maud,  "or  you  will  have  us  all 
wild  to  go  out  and  catch  that  bird.  It  would  be  the  worst  kind  of 
a  wild-goose  chase,  for  a  bird  with  a  message  in  him  looks  just  like 
any  other ;  and  even  if  we  had  tied  a  rag  to  its  leg  or  put  a  mark 
on  it,  I  think  that  by  the  time  it  had  been  chased  from  field  to 
forest,  and  had  had  stones  hurled  at  it  and  nets  thrown  over* it,  its 
electrical  conditions  would  have  been  a  good  deal  disturbed.  No  ! 
We  may  as  well  drop  this  bird  of  Fate  as  it  has  dropped  us.  I 
don't  believe  the  message  went  into  him  anyway.  It  simply  shot 
out  into  the  air,  and  we  shall  never  know  what  it  was  until  Uncle 
Rodney  reaches  England  and  writes  or  telegraphs  back.  Then,  of 
course,  it  will  be  too  late,  and  we  shall  have  to  be  content  to  wait 
for  the  Bermudas  until  some  other  winter." 

"  One  thing  must  be  done  instantly,"  said  Mrs.  Kinton.  "We 
must  telegraph  to  Professor  Cupper  what  has  happened.  It  would 
be  very  unkind  to  let  him  put  himself  to  any  further  trouble  now 


40  THE  CURIOUS  HISTORY  OF  A    MESSAGE. 

that  the  bird  is  gone  and  there  is  nothing  for  himself  or  his  friends 
to  experiment  upon." 

In  twenty  minutes  George  was  riding  to  the  station  with  a 
message  which  briefly  stated  that  the  bird  of  hope  had  revived  and 
flown  away. 

Elinor  and  Maud  went  early  to  bed  that  night.  They  had  a 
feeling  that  this  world  was  a  very  tiresome  place,  and  there  was 
nothing  in  it  worth  sitting  up  for.  But  the  next  morning's  mail 
brought  a  letter  from  Professor  Cupper  which  made  different 
beings  of  them. 

The  letter  had  "been  written  late  the  night  before,  and  was 
brief  and  hurried,  as  the  professor  wished  to  get  it  into  the  post- 
office  before  the  last  mail  closed.  In  it  he  said  that  he  had  been 
greatly  disappointed  and  grieved  by  the  news  that  it  was  impossible 
for  him  to  proceed  with  the  most  interesting  experiment  of  his  life. 
That  was  over  and  done  with,  but  he  had  been  earnestly  pondering 
upon  the  subject,  and  had  come  to  the  conclusion,  for  reasons 
which  he  would  afterward  explain,  that  the  message  was  a  favor- 
able one,  and  that  Mr.  Carr  had  told  his  nieces  that  they  were  to 
go  to  the  Bermudas.  The  professor  had  decided  to  remain  in 
New  York  for  a  few  days,  but  would  then  return  and  finish  his 
visit ;  and  would  give  in  full  his  grounds  for  the  conviction  that 
the  Christmas  present  which  the  girls  so  earnestly  desired  had 
been  sent  to  them. 

"I  believe  it!"  cried  Elinor.  "  It  is  certain  that  Uncle 
Rodney  sent  us  a  message,  and  if  Professor  Cupper,  who  knows 
all  about  these  things,  says  it  was  the  right  message,  I  see  no 
reason  to  doubt  it." 

"  I  don't  doubt  it,"  said  Maud.  "  I  believe  any  other  kind  of  a 
message  would  have  killed  that  bird  as  dead  as  a  door  nail." 

At  first  Mrs.  Kinton  felt  perplexed,  but  as  she  so  well  under- 


THE  CURIOUS  HISTORY  OF  A   MESSAGE.  4* 

stood  her  brother's  generous  disposition,  and  had  such  confidence 
in  Professor  Cupper's  scientific  ability,  she  did  not  feel  warranted 
in  opposing  the  conviction  of  the  professor  and  the  desires  of  her 
daughters ;  and  preparations  for  the  trip  to  the  Bermudas  were 
immediately  commenced.  Of  course  her  brother  had  sent  no 
money,  but  it  had  been  arranged  how  his  sister  could  draw  the 
money  on  his  account. 

Fingers  now  began  to  fly,  and  Elinor  and  Maud  felt  that  the 
world  offered  many  reasons  why  they  should  sit  up  late.  In  two 
days  they  were  in  New  York,  and  on  the  day  afterward,  with  their 
friends,  they  sailed  for  the  Bermudas. 

Shortly  after  their  departure  the  professor  arrived  at  Mrs. 
Kinton's  house,  and,  for  the  first  time  in  his  life,  was  delighted  to 
find  that  his  young  friends  were  not  there.  He  lost  no  time  in 
giving  Mrs.  Kinton  his  grounds  for  the  opinion  he  had  sent  her. 

"  On  some  accounts,"  he  said,  "  it  is  a  pity  the  bird  escaped  ; 
but,  after  all,  this  matters  little,  for,  alive,  it  could  have  been  of  no 
use  to  me.  Its  emotions  on  reviving  in  a  state  of  captivity  would 
probably  have  obliterated,  in  its  nervous  system,  all  electric  impres- 
sions. Having,  therefore,  nothing  positive  on  which  to  base  my 
judgment,  I  was  obliged  to  consider  the  subject  with  reference  to- 
probabilities.  The  bird  was  not  killed  by  the  electric  current ;  it 
was  merely  stunned,  and  afterward  stiffened  by  lying  upon  the 
snow.  I  therefore  infer  that  the  message  sent  was  a  very  brief 
one  ;  and,  being  brief,  I  infer  that  it  was  favorable.  Your  brother 
has  too  kind  a  heart  to  say  to  the  girls  :  '  No ; '  or,  '  You  cannot  go/ 
No  matter  how  limited  his  time,  he  would  have  managed  to  say 
something  in  the  way  of  explanation  and  palliation.  On  the  other 
hand,  '  Yes,'  or,  '  Go  and  be  happy,'  would  be  all-sufficient.  Such 
a  message  might  merely  stun  a  bird ;  a  longer  one  might  kill  it." 

"  Maud  said  something  of  that  kind,"  remarked  Mrs.  Kinton. 


42  THE  CURIOUS  HISTORY  OF  A    MESSAGE. 

"Maud  is  a  very  intelligent  girl,"  said  the  professor,  "and  it 
will  not  surprise  me  if  she  ultimately  engages  in  scientific  pursuits. 
And  now,  madam,"  he  continued,  "  how  grateful  should  we  be  to 
science  !  If  we  had  not  been  able  to  induce,  even  inferentially, 
through  the  medium  of  an  ordinary  bird,  the  purport  of  your 
brother's  message,  we  should  have  known  nothing  of  his  desires 
and  intentions." 

"  No,"  said  Mrs.  Kinton,  smiling,  "  nothing  !  " 

••  The  girls  spent  a  royal  two  weeks  in  the  Bermudas,  and  shortly 
after  their  return  there  came  a  letter  from  their  Uncle  Rodney  in 
answer  to  one  in  which  their  mother  had  given  him  a  full  account 
of  the  state  of  affairs.  In  this  letter  Mr.  Carr  wrote  : 

"As  well  as  I  can  recollect  them,  I  telephoned  to  you  these  words,  'Very 
sorry,  but  I  can't  send  the  girls  this  year.  Better  luck  next  Christmas  !  All  well  ?' 
But  I  could  not  wait  for  an  answer  to  this  question,  for  the  whistle  sounded,  and  I 
was  obliged  to  run  for  the  train.  It  was  much  against  my  will  that  I  sent  this 
message.  Affairs  had  gone  badly  with  me  in  California  ;  and  I  found,  too,  that  if 
I  did  not  very  speedily  show  myself  in  England  I  should  have  heavy  losses.  I 
earnestly  considered  the  question  on  my  way  toward  Afton,  but  finally  decided 
that  under  the  circumstances  I  could  not  afford  to  give  the  girls  that  Bermuda  trip. 
But  when  I  reached  England  I  found  my  affairs  in  a  great  deal  better  shape  than  I 
had  any  reason  to  expect.  By  the  time  I  got  down  to  London,  and  found  your  letter, 
I  was  already  considering  what  I  should  do  to  compensate  the  girls  for  the  loss  of 
their  semi-tropical  Christmas  ;  for  I  knew  it  was  then  too  late  for  them  to  go  south 
with  the  Sandersons.  So  when  I  learned  that  my  message  had  not  been  received, 
and  the  girls  had  gone  to  the  Bermudas,  I  was  delighted.  In  spite  of  your  expla- 
nations, I  must  admit  that  I  do  not  comprehend  how  that  bird  and  Professor  Cupper 
managed  the  matter ;  but  nobody  can  be  happier  than  I  am  that  they  managed  il 
so  well." 

Maud  sprang  to  her  feet,  one  hand  in  the  air. 
"  How  grateful  we  should  be,"  she  cried,  "  for  the  blessings  of 
science  ! " 


A  FORTUNATE  OPENING. 


"\  T    7  ELL,  boys,"  said  Mr.  Bartlett  to  a  party  of  his  young 

y  y  friends  who  gathered  around  him  after  supper,  "  I  am 
going  to  tell  you  a  story,  since  you  are  so  anxious  to 
hear  one,  and  it  will  be  a  story  of  adventure,  but  it  will  have  no 
boy  hero.  Its  heroes  are  two  persons  whom  you  know  very  well, 
but  I  do  not  think  the  story  will  be  less  interesting  on  that 
account." 

One  of  the  young  people  here  remarked  that  he  liked  stories 
of  adventure  about  grown  people  better  than  those  about  boys, 
because  boys  generally  were  not  allowed  to  have  such  good  ad- 
ventures as  grown  people'  could  have. 

"  That  may  or  may  not  be,"  said  Mr.  Bartlett.  "  But  to  go  on 
with  my  story  : 

"  When  I  was  about  thirty-five  years  old,  and  that  was  a  num- 
ber of  years  ago,  I  failed  in  business  and  found  myself  poor.  To 
add  to  my  trouble,  my  health  failed  also  ;  and  it  was  considered 
advisable  that  I  should  take  a  trip  to  one  of  the  West  Indian 
islands  i/.:.  order  to  gain  strength  before  beginning  business  again. 
My  wife  went  with  me,  but  our  little  boy  was  left  behind  with  his 
grandmother. 

"  Our  affairs  were  soon  arranged.  We  collected  money  enough 
for  a  trip  of  a  few  months,  and  soon  after  we  set  sail  for  an  isle  of 
the  sea.  This  island  was  a  beautiful  one,  in  a  charming  climate, 


44  A    FORTUNATE   OPENING. 

and  here  we  lived  for  three  happy  months  ;  but  when  at  last  the 
time  came  for  us  to  go,  we  were  perfectly  satisfied  to  do  so,  and 
we  felt  that  the  object  of  the  trip  had  been  attained. 

"  We  left  the  island  on  the  steamer  Joseph  Barker,  which 
touched  there  on  a  homeward  trip  from  South  America,  stop- 
ping to  leave  a  party  of  scientific  men  who  had  made  a  special 
•contract  to  be  landed  there  ;  and,  as  the  regular  steamer  would  not 
leave  for  a  week  or  longer,  we  were  very  glad  to  take  passage  in 
the  Barker. 

"We  sailed  over  delightful  summer  seas  for  a  day  and  a  night 
and  another  day  and  a  part  of  a  night,  and  then  something,  very 
mysterious  to  me,  occurred.  We  ran  into  a  great  ship,  or  rather, 
the  ship,  which  was  under  full  sail,  ran  into  us.  The  reason  why  this 
seemed  mysterious  to  me  was  that  there  were  hundreds  of  miles  of 
unobstructed  ocean  on  each  side  of  us,  in  any  strip  of  which,  forty 
yards  wide,  the  two  vessels  could  have  passed  in  safety ;  why, 
therefore,  unless  there  is  some  mysterious  attraction  between  ves- 
sels at  sea,  these  two  should  have  happened  to  select  the  same  spot 
of  water  for  occupation  at  the  same  time,  I  could  not  imagine. 

"  The  shock  of  the  collision  was  tremendous  ;  everybody  woke 
up  instantly,  and  many  were  tumbled  out  of  their  berths. 

"  My  wife  and  I  were  soon  dressed  and  on  deck.  There  we 
found  a  great  commotion.  The  general  idea  seemed  to  be  that 
we  had  sunk  the  other  ship.  Immediately  after  the  collision  our 
steamer  had  backed  away,  and  the  two  vessels  were  separated — but 
where  was  the  other  now  ?  It  was  very  dark,  but  certainly,  if  she 
were  above  water,  she  would  have  hung  out  lights  and  made  signs 
of  distress  or  desire  to  relieve  distress.  But  she  was  not  to  be  seen. 

"  When  our  steamer  was  examined,  however,  it  was  found  that 
the  bow  of  the  other  vessel  had  struck  us  on  the  port  side,  just 
aft  the  foremast,  and  had  made  a  hole  as  big  as  a  front  door.  No 


A   FORTUNATE   OPENING.  45 

one  now  thought  of  assisting  the  other  ship.  She  was,  probably, 
but  slightly  injured,  and  it  was  to  her  that  we  must  look  for  help, 
for  it  was  certain  that  our  ship  could  not  keep  afloat  long  with 
such  a  hole  as  that  in  its  side.  Indeed,  reports  from  below  stated 
that  she  was  rapidly  filling. 

"  There  were  not  many  passengers,  and  we  gathered  together 
in  a  knot  on  the  upper  deck  ;  some  were  very  much  frightened, 
and  all  anxious  to  know  what  was  to  be  done.  A  tall  gentleman, 
who  was  travelling  alone,  told  us  what  would  probably  be  done. 
He  said  rockets  would  be  sent  up  to  indicate  our  position  to  the 
other  ship  ;  a  gun  would  be  fired  ;  the  crew,  and  perhaps  the  pas- 
sengers, would  be  set  to  work  at  the  pumps  ;  the  donkey-engine 
would  be  assigned  similar  duty,  and  immediate  efforts  would  be 
made  to  stop  up  the  hole.  We  saw  signs,  or  what  we  supposed  to 
be  signs,  of  intentions  on  the  part  of  the  crew  to  do  some  of  these 
things  ;  but  we  could  not  understand  what  was  going  on,  in  the 
hurry  and  confusion  on  the  decks. 

"  The  tall  gentleman  left  us  .to  make  some  suggestions  to  the 
captain,  who,  however,  scolded  at  him  in  such  a  way  that  he  came 
back  to  us,  and  was  just  in  the  midst  of  some  very  ungracious 
remarks  when  so  unearthly  a  yell  issued  from  the  escape-pipe 
behind  us,  that  several  of  us  thought  the  boilers  had  burst.  But 
the  tall  man,  ceasing  his  complaints,  screamed  in  our  ears  that 
the  engineer  was  merely  letting  off  the  steam. 

"  There  is  no  doubt  that  the  captain  and  the  officers  tried  to 
do  all  that  they  could,  but  it  was  not  long  before  there  were  evi- 
dent signs  of  a  panic.  It  was  too  dark,  even  with  the  lights  on 
deck,  for  us  to  see  much,  but  we  soon  found  that  there  was  a  gen- 
eral rush  for  the  boats.  Then  we  also  rushed. 

"  The  confusion  was  now  so  great,  and  the  deafening  noise 
from  the  steam-pipe  made  it  so  impossible  to  hear  any  orders,  if 


46  A    FORTUNATE  OPENING. 

any  were  given,  while  the  darkness  made  everything  seem  so 
obscure  and  uncertain,  that  I  cannot  describe  how  we  got  into  the 
boats.  I  know  I  hurried  my  wife  to  a  large  boat  not  very  far  from 
us,  which  was  just  about  to  be  lowered,  but  it  was  already  so  full 
of  people  that  there  was  no  possible  chance  for  us  to  get  into  it.  I 
then  ran  aft,  and  found  a  small  empty  boat  at  which  two  men  were 
working.  Without  a  word,  I  helped  my  wife  into  this,  and  the 
two  men  soon  got  in,  and,  one  working  at  the  bow  and  the  other  at 
the  stern,  they  let  it  down  to  the  water.  Each  man  then  took  an 
oar  and  began  to  pull  away  from  the  steamer  as  fast  as  possible. 

"  I  suggested  that  we  might  take  some  one  else  into  the  boat, 
but  one  of  the  men  asked  me  if  I  wanted  to  stay  by  a  sinking 
craft  until  it  should  go  down  and  carry  us  with  it ;  and  then  they 
pulled  away  even  harder  than  before. 

"  My  wife  had  said  little  during  all  these  fearful  scenes.  She 
had  done  exactly  as  I  had  told  her ;  our  action  accordingly  had 
been  expeditious,  and  with  as  little  flurry  as  was  possible  under 
the  circumstances.  Unrolling  a  bundle  of  shawls,  which  I  had 
thrown  into  the  boat,  I  now  began  to  make  my  wife  warm  and 
comfortable.  This  action  attracted  the  attention  of  the  men. 
We  were  very  close  to  one  another  in  the  boat,  and  our  eyes  hav- 
ing become  accustomed  to  the  darkness,  we  could  see  one  another 
tolerably  well. 

'•'  '  Was  that  bundle  only  shawls  ? '  asked  the  man  nearer  us. 
I  answered  that  it  was. .  I  had  picked  up  the  shawls  as  we  ran  out 
of  the  stateroom,  thinking  it  might  be  cool  on  deck,  and  had 
rolled  them  up  and  kept  them  under  my  arm  until  we  were  about 
to  get  into  the  boat.  I  knew  they  would  be  needed. 

"  The  men  now  stopped  rowing-  for  a  minute.  One  of  them 
took  up  a  little  water-keg  which  was  in  the  bow  of  the  boat,  and 
shook  it. 


A   FORTUNATE  OPENING.  47 

"  '  Nothin'  there/  he  said.  Then  some  remarks  which  I  did 
not  catch  were  made  about  my  bundle.  I  am  quite  sure  that  they 
thought  it  contained  some  sort  of  provision  for  what  might  be  an 
extended  boat-trip.  With  their  heads  together,  the  two  men  said 
a  few  words,  and  then  sat  still  as  if  listening.  In  a  few  moments, 
they  began  again  to  row  with  their  utmost  strength.  Before  long 
they  stopped  again  to  listen,  and  then  I  heard  the  sound  of  oars. 
They  pulled  on,  and  we  soon  could  make  out  a  large  boat  not  far 
ahead  of  us. 

"  '  That's  not  the  one  ! '  said  one  of  the  sailors,  turning  around. 
'  That's  the  fust  mate's  boat,  an'  loaded  up.  It's  the  purser's 
boat  we  want.  That  isn't  half  full.' 

"  So  on  they  went,  stopping  every  now  and  then  to  listen,  and 
it  was  not  long  before  we  heard  oars  again,  at  which  the  men  in 
our  boat  pulled  with  renewed  vigor.  I  wondered  how  they  knew 
in  which  direction  to  row,  so  as  to  be  likely  to  fall  in  with  the  other 
boats  ;  but  I  did  not  ask,  for  I  did  not  believe  the  men  would  stop 
to  answer  me.  I  supposed,  however,  that  boats'  crews,  on  such 
occasions,  might  prefer  to  go  with  the  wind.  There  was  enough 
wind  for  us  to  feel  it  very  plainly.  And  now  we  began  to  near 
another  boat,  although  it  was  hard  work  pulling  up  to  it.  I  won- 
dered again  why  they  all  rowed  so  hard.  They  could  not  be 
trying  to  make  any  particular  point.  As  soon  as  we  were  close 
enough,  one  of  our  men  hailed  the  other  boat.  '  Hullo  ! '  he  cried, 
'room  (zi  anybody  else  aboard?' 

"  '  How  many  ?'  a  voice  called  out. 

"  I  instantly  rose  in  my  seat.     '  Four,'  I  shouted. 

"  '  Can't  do  it,'  came  back  the  answer.     '  You'd  swamp  us.' 

"  Our  men  made  no  answer  to  this,  but,  bending  to  their  oars, 
they  pulled  like  madmen.  The  other  boat  seemed  trying  to  get 
away  from  us,  but  if  this  were  so  it  was  a  useless  effort,  for  we 


48  A    FORTUNATE   OPENING. 

rapidly  overhauled  it.  The  moment  we  came  near  enough,  our 
bow-oarsman  reached  out  and  seized  the  stern  of  the  other  boat. 
Then  both  men  dropped  their  oars,  and,  in  a  second,  they  scram- 
bled into  the  other  boat.  As  they  did  so,  our  boat  fell  behind. 
I  rose  to  my  feet  and  called  out  to  the  other  boat  to  stop,  that 
there  were  two  more  in  our  boat.  But  no  voice  answered  us,  and 
the  boat  disappeared  in  the  gloom.  For  a  minute  or  two  !  heard  the 
sound  of  oars,  and  then  even  that  was  lost.  We  were  left  alone. 

"  For  a  time  neither  of  us  could  speak.  And  then  my  wife 
began  to  cry.  The  cruel  desertion  by  our  oarsmen  broke  down 
her  strong  spirit.  I  tried  to  comfort  her,  although  I  was  glad 
she  could  not  see  my  face,  or  know  what  despair  I  felt.  I  told  her 
the  men  could  do  us  no  good,  and  that  we  were  just  as  well  off 
without  them. 

"  'You  can  row,'  she  said,  a  little  reassured. 

"  '  Oh,  yes  ! '  I  replied,  and  I  sat  down  in  the  place  of  one  of  the 
men,  and  took  the  oars,  which,  fortunately,  remained  in  the  row- 
locks. I  began  to  row,  although  I  had  no  idea  in  what  direction  I 
should  go.  I  could  not  catch  the  other  boats,  and  it  would  be  of 
no  advantage  if  I  could.  The  nearest  land  must  surely  be  several 
hundred  miles  away,  and  besides,  for  all  I  knew,  I  might  be  row- 
ing toward  the  Straits  of  Gibraltar.  But  the  exercise  kept  me 
warm,  and  that  was  something.  I  was  not  thickly  clad,  and  the 
wind  began  to  feel  quite  cool.  My  wife  was  warmly  wrapped  up, 
and  that  was  the  only  comfort  I  had.  And  there  we  were  in  the 
darkness;  I  gently  rowing,  and  she  seated  in  the  stern  with  h  r 
face  bent  down  on  her  knees,  sobbing.  Once  I  heard  her  say  : 
1  My  poor  child  ! ' 

"  The  sea  was  moderately  smooth,  although  there  were  long, 
swelling  waves,  on  which  we  rose  and  fell.  The  wind  was  evi- 
dently decreasing. 


A   FORTUNATE   OPENING.  49 

"  After  a  time  my  wife  raised  her  head — I  had  been  talking  to 
her,  bufc  she  had  seldom  spoken — and  she  said  :  '  Do  you  think 
there  is  any  chance  at  all  for  us  ? ' 

"  '  Oh,  yes,'  I  replied  ;  '  as  soon  as  it  is  daylight  we  have  a 
great  many  chances  of  being  picked  up.  Perhaps  the  vessel  that 
ran  into  us  will  come  back  and  cruise  about  in  search  of  us.  She 
probably  had  to  take  a  long  tack  before  she  could  return,  and 
she  could  not  expect  to  come  back  to  the  same  spot  in  the  dark/ 

"  She  made  no  answer  to  this,  although  I  think  it  must  have 
encouraged  her  a  little,  and  for  a  long  time  we  sat  in  silence  ;  at 
last  she  went  to  sleep.  I  was  very  glad  to  find  she  was  sleeping, 
for,  as  she  lay  upon  her  side,  with  her  head  resting  on  her  arm,  I 
knew  that,  for  a  time  at  least,  she  would  forget  her  despair  and  our 
little  boy  at  home. 

"  But  I  felt  all  the  more  lonely  and  desolate,  now  that  she 
slept.  No  sound  could  be  heard  but  the  plash  of  the  waves,  and 
nothing  could  be  seen  but  a  little  water  around  the  boat.  The  sky 
was  covered  with  an  even  mass  of  motionless  clouds.  For  some 
time  after  we  had  left  the  steamer  I  could  hear  the  sound  of  the 
escaping  steam.  But  that  was  not  to  be  heard  now.  Perhaps  we 
were  too  far  away,  or  perhaps  she  had  gone  down.  And  then  I 
thought,  with  horror,  that  perhaps  she  had  not  yet  sunk,  and  that 
she  might  come  slowly  drifting  down  upon  us,  and  then,  rolling 
over  on  our  boat,  sink  us  with  herself  to  the  dreadful  depths 
below.  This  idea  made  me  so  nervous  that  I  could  not  help  look- 
ing behind  me,  fearing  I  should  see  above  me  the  great  black  hull, 
with  the  masts  and  spars  bending  down  toward  us. 

"  At  last  I  too  went  to  sleep.  My  head  dropped  on  my  breast, 
and  I  sat,  with  the  oars  still  in  my  hands,  and  slept,  I  know  not 
how  long.  I  was  awakened  by  an  exclamation  from  my  wife. 
Starting  up,  I  gazed  around.  It  was  daylight  ;  the  sky  was  still 


50  A    FORTUNATE   OPENING. 

cloudy,  and,  as  far  as  I  could  see,  there  stretched  an  expanse  of 
dull  green  water,  rising  and  falling  in  long  and  gentle  swells. 

"  But  my  wife  was  sitting  up  very  straight,  gazing  past  me,  with 
her  eyes  opened  wider  than  I  had  ever  seen  them.  She  had  evi- 
dently just  awakened. 

"  *  Look  there  ! '  she  said,  pointing  over  my  shoulder. 

"  I  turned  quickly,  but  saw  nothing.  But  then,  as  we  rose  upon 
a  swell,  I  distinctly  saw  a  vessel.  It  seemed  to  me  to  be  about 
half  a  mile  away,  but  it  was  probably  farther. 

"'We're  saved!'  I  shouted,  and  I  took  hold  of  the  oars  and 
began  to  pull  with  all  the  vigor  that  was  in  me.  I  wanted  to  say 
something,  but  remember  thinking  that  every  word  would  waste 
breath  and  I  must  row,  row,  row.  It  would  be  death  to  let  that 
vessel  get  away  from  us. 

"  My  wife  was  as  much  excited  as  I  was. 

"  '  Shall  I  wave  something  ? '  she  cried.  I  nodded,  and  she 
drew  out  her  handkerchief  and  waved  it  over  her  head. 

"'If  I  only  had  a  pole,'  she  said,  'or  something  to  tie  it 
to!' 

"There  were  two  oars  behind  me,  but  I  could  not  stop  rowing 
to  reach  back  to  get  them.  She  stood  up  to  wave  her  signal,  but 
I  made  her  sit  down  again.  I  felt  I  must  speak  then. 

"  '  You  must  not  stand  up,'  I  said  ;  '  you  will  fall  overboard. 
Is  she  coming  this  way  ?  ' 

'"I  think  she  is,'  was  the  reply.  '  She  is  nearer  to  us.'  And 
with  both  hands  she  continued  wildly  to  wave  the  handkerchief, 
while  I  rowed  on. 

"  Suddenly  she  stopped  waving.  For  an  instant  I  ceased  row- 
ing and  looked  at  her. 

"'Go  on!'  she  said,  and  on  I  went.  Once,  when  I  rowed  a 
little  out  of  the  right  direction,  she  told  me  of  my  error.  She 


A    FORTUNATE   OPENING.  51 

looked  straight  ahead,  neither  waving  her  handkerchief  nor  saying 
anything. 

"  '  Are  we  near? '  I  said,  for  my  arms  were  growing  lame  with 
the  unaccustomed  work. 

"  '  Quite  near,'  she  said.  '  Row  a  little  more  to  the  left.  Yes, 
I  knew  it ;  it  is  our  steamer !  I  can  see  the  name/ 

"  I  quickly  turned.  We  were  within  a  couple  of  hundred  yards 
of  the  vessel.  It  was  our  steamer.  I  too  could  read  the  words 
Joseph  Barker  on  the  stern.  She  had  not  sunk  yet. 

"  I  don't  know  how  my  wife  bore  up  under  this  terrible  disap- 
pointment. But  she  did.  She  even  smiled  weakly  when  she  said 
we  might  have  stayed  on  board  all  night,  and  have  taken  the  boats 
by  daylight — if  we  had  only  known. 

"  The  dread  of  the  ship  which  had  haunted  me  during  the  night 
had  passed  away.  I  did  not  care  very  much  whether  she  sank  and 
carried  us  down  with  her,  or  not.  It  was  a  relief  to  see  anything 
that  reminded  me  of  humanity  on  that  desolate,  lonely  sea.  I 
rowed  up  quite  close  to  her. 

"  '  Perhaps  there  is  some  one  left  on  board,'  said  my  wife,  and 
she  and  I  both  shouted  as  loudly  as  we  could,  but  no  answer  came 
from  the  ship. 

"  Then  I  rowed  around  her,  and  we  saw  the  frightful  hole  in 
her  side.  While  we  were  looking  at  it  my  wife  said  : 

"'Do  you  know  that  I  should  just  as  soon  be  on  board  that 
ship  as  to  be  in  this  little  boat  !  I  don't  believe  she  will  sink  a  bit 
sooner  than  we  shall.' 

"  '  I  was  thinking  of  that/  I  replied.  '  The  lower  edge  of  the 
hole  in  her  side  is  four  feet  from  the  water-level  when  she  rolls  this 
way,  and  nine  or  ten  when  she  rolls  the  other  way.  It  must  have 
been  because  the  waves  were  high  last  night  that  the  water  came  in. 
As  long  as  the  sea  is  quiet,  I  don't  believe  she  will  sink  at  all/ 


52  A    FOR'lUbA'lL    UP  Eft  ING. 

"  I  then  rowed  up  close  to  the  vessel  and  examined  her  injuries 
as  well  as  I  could.  The  side  of  the  vessel,  which  was  a  wooden 
one,  did  not  seem  to  be  damaged  below  the  tremendous  gap  which 
the  bow  of  the  other  vessel  had  made.  The  sheathing,  as  I  believe 
the  outside  boards  of  a  ship's  hull  are  called,  seemed  tight  enough 
between  the  water-line  and  the  hole. 

"  I  agreed  with  my  wife  that  it  would  be  much  better  to  be  on 
board  the  steamer  than  to  remain  in  our  little  boat,  especially  as  we 
began  to  be  hungry.  Even  if  a  storm  should  come  on,  we  should 
feel  safer  in  the  larger  craft.  So  I  set  about  trying  to  get  on 
board.  There  were  some  ropes,  with  blocks  and  hooks,  hanging 
from  the  davits  from  which  the  boats  had  been  lowered/  and, 
having  managed  to  get  hold  of  one  of  these,  I  thought  I  might 
climb  up  it  to  the  deck.  But  my  wife  was  strongly  opposed  to 
this,  for,  when  she  saw  how  the  ropes  swung  as  the  ship  rolled,  she 
declared  that  I  should  never  go  up  one  of  them.  And  when  I 
came  to  try  the  ropes  and  found  that  there  were  four  of  them 
together,  passing  through  a  pulley  above,  and  that,  if  I  should  not 
pull  on  them  equally,  I  might  come  down  with  a  run,  I  gave  up 
this  plan. 

"  Suddenly  I  had  a  happy  thought.  I  rowed  to  one  of  the 
for  vard  davits,  and  fastened  the  hook  that  hung  from  it  to  the 
bow  of  our  boat.  I  then  paddled  the  boat  around  until  we  were 
under,  and  very  near  to,  the  fractured  aperture,  which  was  not  far 
from  the  forward  davits. 

"'What  are  you  going  to  do?'  asked  my  wife.  'We  ought 
not  to  go  so  near  the  ship.  She  will  push  us  under  as  she 
rolls.1 

"  '  I  wish  to  go  still  nearer,'  said  I.  '  I  don't  believe  there  is 
any  danger,  with  that  easy  rolling.  I  wish  to  get  in  through  that 
hole.  Then  I'll  make  my  way  on  deck/ 


A    FORTUNATE  OPENING.  53 

"  '  But  what  shall  /  do  ?  '  asked  my  wife,  anxiously.  '  I  can 
never  climb  in  there  !' 

"  '  No,  indeed  !'  said  I.  '  I  don't  intend  to  let  you  try.  When 
I  get  on  deck  Pll  haul  you  up.' 

"  '  But  can  you  do  it?'  she  asked,  a  little  doubtfully. 

"  '  Certainly  I  can,'  I  answered  ;  and  I  immediately  began  to 
prepare  for  boarding  the  ship. 

"  First,  I  tied  two  of  the  shawls  around  my  wife,  just  under  her 
arms,  making  the  knots  as  secure  as  I  could.  Then  I  showed  her 
how  to  fasten  the  hook  that  held  the  boat  into  these  shawls,  when 
the  time  came.  I  insisted  that  she  should  be  sure  to  hook  it  into 
both  shawls,  so  that  if  one  gave  way  there  might  be  another  to 
depend  upon.  I  did  not  like  to  leave  my  wife  alone  in  the  boat, 
but  there  seemed  to  be  no  help  for  it ;  and,  as  it  could  not  float 
away,  there  was  no  danger  if  she  was  careful. 

"  When  I  had  given  her  all  the  necessary  directions  I  paddled 
the  boat  as  near  to  the  hole  as  I  could  with  safety,  and  then,  stand- 
ing up,  I  waited  until  the  rolling  of  the  ship  brought  the  lower 
edge  of  the  aperture  within  my  reach,  when  I  seized  it,  and  in  a 
moment  was  raised  high  out  of  the  little  boat  as  the  ship  rolled 
back  again.  I  heard  my  wife  scream,  but  I  knew  it  was  only 
on  account  of  my  apparently  dangerous  rise  in  the  air,  and 
I  lost  no  time  in  drawing  myself  up  and  scrambling  into  the 
hole.  It  was  only  by  the  exercise  of  my  utmost  strength  and 
activity  that  I  did  this.  It  would  have  been  better  if  I  had 
made  a  spring  from  the  boat  as  soon  as  I  had  taken  hold,  but 
I  did  not  think  of  that.  Fortunately,  the  planking  on  which  I 
was  hanging  was  firm,  and  I  quickly  made  my  way  in  between 
the  splintered  boards  and  timbers.  As  soon  as  I  was  safely  inside, 
standing  on  something — I  knew  not  what — I  put  my  head  out  of 
the  hole  and  called  down  to  my  wife.  She  was  in  the  boat,  all 


54  A   FORTUNATE  OPENING. 

right,  a  short  distance    from  me,  with  her  face  as  white  as  her 
handkerchief. 

<  ..."'I  was  sure  you  would  never  get  in!'  she  cried.     'I   knew 
you  would  drown  ! ' 

"  '  But  you  see  I  didn't/  said  I.  '  It's  all  right  now.  I'll  hurry 
on  deck,  and  have  you  up  in  no  time.' 

"  For  a  moment  I  thought  of  trying  to  help  her  in  through  the 
hole,  but  such  an  attempt  would  have  been  very  hazardous,  and  I 
did  not  propose  it.  She  could  not  have  brought  the  boat  up  prop- 
erly, and  would  probably  have  fallen  overboard  in  attempting  to 
reach  me.  So  I  told  her  to  sit  perfectly  still  until  I  saw  her  again, 
and  I  withdrew  into  the  interior  of  the  vessel.  I  found  myself  in 
the  upper  part  of  the  hold,  among  freight  and  timber  and  splin- 
ters, and  many  obstructions  of  various  kinds,  but  it  was  not  dark. 
Light  came  through  the  hole  in  the  ship's  side  and  also  from 
above.  Making  my  way  further  into  the  interior,  I  saw  that  the 
light  from  above  came  from  the  open  hatchway  in  the  forward 
deck.  This  had  probably  been  opened  after  the  accident,  with  the 
idea  of  lightening  the  vessel  by  throwing  out  part  of  the  cargo.  Or 
it  may  have  been  that  the  men  came  down  that  way  to  investigate 
the  damage  done  by  the  collision.  It  matters  not.  The  hatch- 
way was  open,  and  through  it  I  could  probably  make  my  way  on 
deck. 

"  I  was  surprised  to  find  no  water  in  the  part  of  the  vessel 
where  I  entered.  I  expected  to  have  to  wade  or  swim  after  I  was 
inside.  But  the  water  which  had  come  in  was  probably  far  be- 
neath me.  The  lower  part  of  the  hold  might  be  full  for  all  I 
knew.  I  had  no  difficulty  in  climbing  out  of  the  hold.  In  one  of 
the  great  upright  beams  which  supported  the  corner  of  the  hatch- 
way there  was  a  series  of  pegs,  by  the  aid  of  which  I  easily 
mounted  to  the  deck.  There  I  stopped  for  a  moment,  and  looked 


A   FORTUNATE  OPENING.  55 

about  me.  Everything  appeared  so  desolate  and  lonely  that  my 
heart  sank.  But  there  was  no  time  for  the  indulgence  of  melan- 
choly. I  hurried  to  the  upper  deck,  where  the  davits  were,  and 
looked  over. 

."' '  Hurrah  ! '  I  cried,  '  I'm  all  right  ! ' 

'•'• &  I  wish  I  were,'  came  back  the  plaintive  answer  from  the 
figure  in  the  little  boat. 

" '  You  shall  be,  directly,'  I  said.  '  Wait  one  moment,  and  I'll 
haul  you  up.' 

"  I  now  directed  my  wife  to  unhook  the  block  from  the  boat, 
and  to  fasten  the  hook  securely  in  her  shawls  in  the  way  I  had 
shown  her.  She  immediately  rose,  stepped  from  seat  to  seat,  and, 
unfastening  the  hook,  coolly  stood  up  in  the  boat  to  attach  it  to 
her  shawls. 

"I  was  horror-stricken!  'Sit  down!'  I  cried;  *  if  you  lose 
your  balance  you  will  be  overboard  in  an  instant.  You  can't 
stand  up  in  a  boat,  especially  when  it's  rolling  about  like  that.' 

"  She  sat  down  immediately,  but  the  thought  of  her  dangerous 
position  made  me  feel  sick  for  a  moment.  Would  she  ever  be  safe 
on  deck  beside  me  ? 

"  She  now  called  up  that  she  was  ready,  and  that  the  hook  was 
all  right.  I  then  took  hold  of  the  upper  end  of  the  rope  which  ran 
throug.i  the  pulleys  in  the  blocks,  and  began  to  haul  it  in.  This 
soon  oroduced  a  pressure  on  the  shawls,  and  my  wife  declared 
that  if  !  pulled  much  harder  she  would  have  to  stand  up. 

"  '  Very  well ! '  I  called  down,  '  you  may  stand  up  as  soon  as 
you  please,  now.  I  have  you  tight.  You  may  hold  on  to  the 
block  or  the  hook,  if  you  like,  but  don't  touch  the  ropes.  Now  I 
am  going  to  haul  you  up.' 

"  I  said  this  very  confidently,  but  I  did  not  feel  confident.  I 
was  terribly  afraid  that  I  could  not  do  it.  I  put  the  rope  over  my 


5 6  A   FORTUNATE  OPENING. 

shoulder  and  began  to  walk  across  the  deck.  As  the  vessel  gave 
a  roll,  I  felt  that  I  had  my  wife  hanging  at  the  other  end  of  that 
rope  !  Now  I  must  do  it !  If  the  deck  had  been  stationary,  I 
might  have  pressed  on  and  slowly  pulled  her  up  ;  but  the  first  time 
the  vessel  rolled  over  toward  me  I  should  have  fallen  backward, 
had  I  not  grasped  the  railing  which  ran  across  the  deck  in  front  of 
the  pilot-house.  This  railing  was  my  salvation.  With  the  rope 
over  my  right  shoulder  and  wrapped  around  my  right  hand,  I 
clutched  the  railing  with  my  left  hand,  and  step  by  step,  and  clutch 
by  clutch,  I  forced  myself  along.  Once  I  thought  of  my  wife, 
dangling  and  swinging  above  the  water ;  but  I  banished  the  idea — 
my  business  was  to  pull,  and  keep  pulling. 

"  When  the  vessel  rolled  toward  me  so  that  I  was  walking  up  a 
steep  hill,  the  strain  was  terrible,  but  I  had  advantages  when  it 
rolled  the  other  way,  and  I  could  throw  much  of  my  weight  against 
the  rope. 

"  Now  the  rope  had  run  out  a  long  way.  I  was  nearly  to  the 
other  side  of  the  deck.  She  ought  to  be  up.  I  glanced  back,  but 
there  was  no  sign  of  her.  But  I  knew  she  had  not  fallen  off.  I 
could  feel  her  weight.  Indeed,  it  seemed  greater  than  before. 
Could  I,  by  some  accidental  attachment,  be  hauling  up  the  boat  ? 
If  so,  there  was  no  help  for  it.  I  must  keep  on  hauling. 

"  Again  I  looked  back,  and,  oh,  happy  sight !  I  saw  the  top  of 
my  wife's  back  hair  just  showing  above  the  side.  I  gave  one 
powerful  pull ;  I  made  the  line  fast  to  the  railing,  and  then  I  ran 
back.  There  she  hung,  with  her  whole  head  above  the  side  !  I 
ought  to  have  pulled  her  up  higher,  but  I  could  not  go  back  to 
do  it  now.  So  I  reached  over  and  lifted  her  in.  This  effort 
exhausted  what  was  left  of  my  strength.  I  managed  to  take  the 
hook  from  the  shawls,  and  then  we  sank  down  beside  each  other 
on  the  deck. 


"  THE    GULF    STREAM    GOES   TO   ENGLAND,    DOESN'T    IT  ?        DO    YOU    SUPPOSE   IT    WILL   DRIFT 

US   AS    FAR    AS    THAT  /  " 


A   FORTUNATE  OPENING.  59 

"In  about  half  an  hour  I  went  below  to  get  my  wife  some 
water.  I  found  water  in  the  cooler  in  the  dining-room,  and  glasses 
by  it.  As  I  filled  one  of  these,  I  thought  of  the  curious  conveni- 
ence of  all  this.  Here  we  were,  alone  on  the  ocean,  and  yet  I  could 
go  down-stairs  and  get  my  wife  a  glass  of  water  as  easily  as  if  I 
were  in  my  own  house. 

"  '  Were  you  frightened  when  I  was  drawing  you  up  ? '  I  asked 
my  wife. 

"  '  Frightened  ! '  she  answered,  '  I  almost  died  !  The  boat 
went  from  under  me  as  soon  as  the  steamer  rolled  and  lifted  me 
up,  and  then,  when  she  rolled  back,  I  was  sure  I  would  be  dipped 
into  the  water.  But  I  wasn't.  And  then,  when  I  looked  down 
and  saw  nothing  but  that  black  water  moving  and  yawning  there 
beneath  me,  and  thought  of  falling  into  it  if  any  accident  should 
happen,  I  could  not  bear  to  see  it,  and  shut  my  eyes.  I  bumped 
against  the  vessel  every  time  it  rolled,  but  I  didn't  mind  that. 
They  were  gentle  bumps.' 

"  At  this  moment  I  happened  to  think  of  the  little  boat. 
Without  attracting  my  wife's  attention,  I  looked  over  the  side.  It 
had  floated  away  and  was  entirely  out  of  our  reach.  I  ought  to 
have  secured  it.  But  it  was  of  no  use  to  regret  the  accident  now ; 
and,  as  we  began  to  feel  that  we  ought  to  have  some  food,  I  pro- 
posed we  should  go  below  to  look  for  some.  We  easily  found  the 
kitchen  and  a  pantry,  where  there  were  bread  and  butter,  and  a 
variety  of  cold  meats  and  vegetables,  apparently  left  from  the 
previous  day's  dinner.  We  did  not  stop  to  make  much  of  a  choice 
of  these  eatables,  but  stood  up  and  ate  bread  and  butter  and  cold 
meat  until  we  were  satisfied. 

"  '  It  is  astonishing  how  hungry  we  are,'  said  my  wife,  '  con- 
sidering that  it  is  now  but  very  little  after  our  usual  breakfast 
time.' 


6o  A    FORTUNATE  OPENING. 

"  But  I  did  not  think  it  astonishing  after  all  we  had  gone 
through.  The  strange  thing  was  that  we  should  have  so  much  to 
eat.  When  we  had  finished  our  meal  and  had  satisfied  our  thirst 
at  the  water-cooler,  we  made  a  tour  of  the  ship — that  is,  of  the 
more  accessible  parts  of  it.  We  looked  into  every  stateroom. 
All  were  empty.  We  made  sure  that  there  was  not  a  soul  on 
board  but  ourselves. 

"  When  we  went  into  our  stateroom  we  found  everything  as 
we  left  it ;  and  the  sight  of  the  berths  was  so  tempting  to  our 
tired  bodies  that  we  agreed  to  turn  in  and  take  a  nap.  It  was  late 
in  the  afternoon  when  we  awoke  ;  and  when  I  looked  at  my  watch 
and  jumped  to  the  floor  I  felt  conscience-stricken  at  having  lost  so 
much  time  in  sleep,,  What  vessels  might  not  have  sailed  near 
enough  to  us  to  have  seen  a  signal  of  distress,  if  I  had  but  put  one 
out  ?  .\nd  yet,  I  think  that  if  any  vessel  had  seen  the  Joseph  Bar- 
ker it  would  have  known  that  something  was  the  matter  with  her. 

"  I  determined  not  to  run  the  risk  of  another  collision  when 
night  should  come  on.  I  found  the  lamps  in  the  dining-room 
empty,  and  supposed  that  all  the  lamps  on  board  had  probably 
burned  out,  and  therefore  set  about  looking  for  oil  to  fill  some  of 
them.  I  found  a  can  after  a  deal  of  searching,  and  filled  a  couple 
of  the  dining-room  lamps.  I  would  have  lighted  the  red  and 
green  lights  that  were  burned  on  deck  at  night,  but  they  were 
difficult  to  get  at,  and  I  thought  I  might  not  know  how  to  manage 
them.  So  I  contented  myself  with  hanging  a  large  lantern  ;n  the 
rigging  near  the  bow,  and  another  one  at  the  stern.  These  wera 
not  placed  very  high,  but  I  thought  they  would  be  sufficiently 
visible.  The  larger  lantern  I  found  in  the  engine-room,  and,  to 
my  astonishment,  it  was  burning  whe~  T  took  it  down.  It  seemed 
the  only  sign  of  life  on  board. 

"  By  the  time  I  had  hung  out  my  lights  I  found  that  my  wife 


A   FORTUNATE  OPENING.  61 

had  prepared  supper,  which  she  had  spread  on  the  captain's  end  of 
the  long  table  in  the  dining-saloon.  She  had  no  tea  or  coffee,  for 
there  was  no  fire  in  the  kitchen,  but  she  had  arranged  everything 
very  nicely,  and  we  really  had  a  pleasant  meal,  considering  the 
circumstances. 

"  We  did  not  sit  up  very  long,  for  the  steamer  looked  extremely 
lonely  by  lamplight — and  it  was  so  very  little  lamplight,  too. 

"The  next  day,  when  we  went  on  deck,  and  looked  anxiously 
over  the  ocean,  not  a  sign  could  we  see  of  sail  or  vessel.  We  spent 
a  great  part  of  the  morning  in  putting  up  a  signal  of  distress. 
This  consisted  of  a  sheet  from  one  of  the  berths,  which  I  fastened 
to  the  halyards  on  the  mainmast,  and  ran  up  as  high  as  it  would 
go.  There  was  not  much  wind,  but  it  fluttered  out  quite  well. 

"  We  now  began  to  consider  our  chances  of  safety  in  case  we 
were  not  soon  rescued.  I  thought,  and  my  wife  agreed  with  me, 
that  if  the  sea  remained  smooth  the  vessel  would  continue  to 
float  ;  but  what  would  happen  if  the  waves  rose,  and  dashed  into 
the  great  hole  in  her  side,  we  scarcely  dared  to  think.  We  both 
believed  we  ought  to  do  something,  but  what  to  do  we  could  not 
determine.  The  small  boat  was  gone,  and  our  fate  was  joined  to 
that  of  the  ship.  I  had  heard  of  fastening  a  large  sail  over  a 
leak  or  break  in  a  vessel,  so  as  to  keep  out  the  water  to  some 
extent  ;  but  a  sail  big  enough  to  cover  that  hole  would  be  far  too 
heavy  for  my  wife  and  me  to  manage. 

11  We  thought  and  talked  the  matter  over  all  day,  and  the 
next  morning  we  considered  it  even  more  seriously,  for  the  wind 
had  risen  considerably.  It  blew  from  the  south,  and,  as  our  vessel 
lay  with  her  bow  to  the  west — I  knew  this  from  the  compass  on 
deck — the  waves  frequently  broke  against  her  injured  side,  and 
sometimes,  when  she  rolled  over  that  way,  the  spray  did  come 
into  the  aperture. 


62  A   FORTUNATE   OPENING. 

"  l  If  we  could  steer  her  around/  said  my  wife,  '  so  that  the 
other  side  would  be  toward  the  wind,  it  would  be  better,  wouldn't 
it  ?  Can't  we  go  into  the  pilot's  house,  and  turn  the  wheel,  and 
steer  her  around  ? ' 

"  '  No,'  said  I,  'we  couldn't  do  that.  You  can't  steer  a  vessel 
unless  she  is  under  way — is  going,  that  is.' 

"  '  And  is  there  any  way  in  which  we  could  make  her  go  ? '  she 
continued. 

"  I  laughed.  The  idea  of  our  making  this  great  vessel  move 
was  rather  ridiculous.  But  my  wife  did  not  laugh.  Walking  about 
the  ship,  we  went  into  the  engine-room.  We  looked  at  the  bright 
steel  cranks  and  bars,  and  all  the  complicated  machinery,  now 
motionless  and  quiet,  and  down  through  the  grating  on  which  we 
stood,  to  the  great  furnaces  far  beneath  us,  where  the  coals  were 
all  dead  and  cold. 

"  'This  looks  as  if  it  were  all  in  order,'  she  said,  '  and  yet  I 
suppose  you  couldn't  set  it  going.' 

"  I  assured  her  that  I  certainly  could  not.  I  did  not  know  any- 
thing about  an  engine,  and  even  if  the  fires  were  burning  and  the 
boilers  full  of  steam,  I  could  never  hope  to  turn  handles  and  work 
levers  so  that  the  great  wheels  would  go  around  and  move  the 
vessel. 

"  'You  would  probably  blow  us  up,'  she  remarked,  'and  so  it  is 
just  as  well  as  it  is.' 

"  But  later  in  the  day  she  said,  '  Why  don't  we  put  up  a  sail  ? 
I  have  an  idea  about  a  sail.  If  we  put  one  up  that  ran  lengthways 
with  the  vessel,  like  the  sail  on  a  sailboat,  and  the  wind  kept  blow- 
ing on  this  side  of  us,  it  would  blow  the  ship  over  a  little  sideways, 
as  sailboats  are  when  they  are  sailing,  and  that  would  raise  the 
hole  up  so  that  the  water  wouldn't  get  in.' 

" '  It  might  act  that  way,'  I  said.     '  But  we  couldn't  put  up  a  sail.1 


A  FORTUNATE  OPENING.  63 

"  '  Why  not  ?  '  she  asked. 

"  *  We're  not  strong  enough,  for  one  reason,'  said  I,  '  and 
don't  know  how,  for  another/ 

" '  Well,  let's  go  and  look  at  them/  said  she. 

"  As  it  was  certainly  better  to  move  about  and  occupy  our 
minds  and  bodies,  instead  of  sitting  still  and  thinking  of  all  sorts 
of  dangers,  we  went  to  look  at  the  sails.  There  were  two  masts  to 
the  steamer.  On  the  mainmast  was  a  large  sail,  like  a  schooner's 
mainsail,  which,  I  was  sure,  we  could  not  raise  a  foot.  On  the 
foremast  was  a  square  sail,  much  smaller,  and  this  my  wife  thought 
we  certainly  ought  to  be  able  to  set.  I  was  not  so  sure  about  it. 
The  difficulty  in  our  case  would  be  to  get  the  sail  loose  from  the 
yard  to  which  it  was  furled.  I  had  seen  the  sail  set,  and  knew 
there  was  no  lower  yard,  the  bottom  of  the  sail  being  fastened  by 
ropes  at  the  corners  to  the  vessel.  I  suppose  it  is  easy  enough  for 
sailors  to  go  out  along  the  yards  and  untie — or  whatever  they  call 
it — the  sails,  but  I  could  not  do  it.  Nor  did  my  wife  wish  me  to 
try,  when  she  saw  what  was  necessary. 

"  '  If  we  had  the  yard  on  deck/  she  said,  '  we  could  untie  the 
sail  and  then  haul  it  up  again/ 

"  I  knew  this  would  not  do,  for  even  if  we  could  have  let  the 
yard  down,  we  could  never  have  hoisted  it  up  again,  and  so,  after  a 
good  deal  of  examination  and  cogitation,  I  told  my  wife  that  we 
should  have  to  be  content  to  give  it  up. 

"  For  the  rest  of  that  day  we  said  no  more  about  setting  sails, 
but  the  desire  to  do  the  thing  had  so  grown  upon  me  that  I  got  up 
very  early  the  next  morning  without  waking  my  wife  and  went  on 
deck.  To  my  delight  I  found  that  the  wind  had  gone  down  almost 
entirely.  Then,  in  great  fear  lest  my  wife  and  the  wind  should 
rise,  I  mounted  the  shrouds  carefully,  and  slowly  made  my  way  out 
on  each  side  of  the  yard  as  I  had  often  seen  sailors  make  their 


64 


A   FORTUNATE  OPENING. 


way,  and  with  a  large  knife,  which  I  found  on  deck,  I  cut  all  the 
ropes  which  confined  the  sail,  so  that  it  gradually  fell  down  to  its 
full  length.  I  could  not  unfasten  the  knots  nor  comprehend  the 
turnings  of  the  ropes  that  held  the  sail,  and  even  to  cut  them  was 
a  work  of  time  and  danger  to  me.  But  at  last  it  hung  down, 
slowly  waving  and  curling  with  the  motion  of  the  ship  ;  for  the 
swell  on  the  sea  still  continued.  I  descended,  trembling  with  the 
exertion  and  excitement.  By  ropes  attached  to  the  lower  corners 

of  the  sail  I  loosely  fastened 
it  to  the  deck,  so  that  it 
should  be  under  control  in 
case  the  wind  arose,  and  then 
I  went  aft.  I  met  my  wife 
coming  up  the  companion- 
way.  To  her  inquiries  as  to 
what  I  had  been  doing,  I  told 
her  I  had  been  setting  the 
foresail,  at  which  she  went 
forward  to  see  how  I  had 
done  it.  When  she  came 
back  she  found  me  lying 
down  on  a  sofa  in  the  dining- 
saloon. 

"  '  And  so  you  went  out  on  that  yard  and  undid  those  ropes  ?' 
she  said. 

.  "  I  answered  that  I  was  obliged  to  do  so,  or  I  could  not  have 
set  the  sail.  It  is  not  necessary  to  report  the  lecture  that  ensued, 
but  it  was  a  long  and  a  serious  one.  When  all  was  over,  I 
promised  never  to  do  anything  of  the  kind  again,  and  then  we 
had  breakfast. 

/'From  the   time  when  we  boarded  the  steamer  we  had   not 


I   CUT    ALL    THE    ROPES    THAT    CONFINED 
THE    SAIL. 


A   FORTUNATE  OPENING.  65 


failed,  at  every  convenient  moment  during  the  daytime,  to  look  for 
sails.  But  we  had  seen  only  two,  and  those  were  very  far  off,  and 
had  soon  disappeared.  Our  signal  of  distress  was  kept  flying ; 
but,  after  a  time,  we  began  to  wonder  whether  or  not  it  was  a  sig- 
nal of  distress. 

"  '  Perhaps  a  white  flag  on  the  highest  mast  means  that  every- 
thing's all  right,'  remarked  my  wife. 

"  I  did  not  know  how  such  a  flag  would  be  regarded,  but  thought 
that  if  any  vessel  could  catch  sight  of  our  steamer  rolling  about 
without  any  smoke  visible,  we  would  need  no  signal  of  distress. 
I  wondered  that  we  did  not  meet  other  vessels.  I  had  thought 
there  were  so  many  ships  on  the  ocean  that,  in  the  course  of  a 
day  or  two,  we  could  not  help  meeting  at  least  one.  But  I  worked 
out  a  theory  on  the  subject. 

"  '  We  are  probably,'  I  said  to  my  wife,  '  in  the  Gulf  Stream, 
which  flows  northward.  Vessels  going  south  avoid  this  stream, 
and  therefore  we  do  not  meet  them.' 

"  '  But  shall  we  never  meet  a  vessel  ? '  asked  my  wife.  '  The 
Gulf  Stream  goes  to  England,  doesn't  it  ?  Do  you  suppose  it  will 
drift  us  as  far  as  that  ? ' 

"  '  Oh,'  I  said,  '  I  have  no  doubt  there  will  be  vessels  crossing 
the  stream  before  long.  Or  one  may  overtake  us/ 

"  We  now  had  our  meals  regularly,  for  my  wife  had  gone  to 
work  in  the  kitchen.  She  declared  it  was  the  most  '  cluttered-up  ' 
place  she  ever  saw  in  her  life,  but  she  had  made  wood  fires  in  the 
curious  stove,  which  it  took  her  a  long  time  to  understand,  and  we 
had  hot  tea  and  coffee  and  warm  food  of  various  kinds.  I  always 
sat  at  table  in  the  captain's  place,  with  my  wife,  representing  the 
most  honored  passenger,  at  my  right  hand. 

"  After  a  brief  calm  a  breeze  sprang  up,  and  as  soon  as  we  felt 
it,  as  we  stood  on  deck,  looking  out  for  sails,  we  ran  forward  to  see 


66  A    FORTUNATE   OPENING. 

what  effect  it  had  on  our  foresail.  The  great  canvas  was  puffed 
out  and  swelling.  It  made  me  proud  to  look  at  it. 

"  '  Now  we  shall  sail  before  the  wind/  I  said,  '  if  we  sail  at 
all.  I  don't  know  that  one  sail  will  be  enough  to  move  the  ship.' 

" '  But  how  about  the  waves  coming  in  at  the  side  where  it  is 
stove  in  ?'  asked  my  wife. 

"  '  We  shall  have  the  wind  and  waves  at  the  stern  of  the  ship/ 
I  said  ;  '  so  that  will  be  all  right.' 

"  She  thought  this  might  be  so,  and  we  went  to  the  vessel's 
side  and  threw  over  bits  of  paper,  to  see  if  it  really  moved.  Before 
long  it  was  evident  that  the  steamer  did  move  a  little,  for  the 
papers  gradually  began  to  float  backward.  When  I  saw  that  this 
was  truly  the  case,  I  gave  a  cheer. 

"  '  Hurrah  !'  I  cried,  '  she's  offj  And  now  let's  hurry  up  and 
steer ! ' 

"  Up  to  the  pilot-house  we  rushed,  and  we  both  took  hold  of 
the  great  wheel.  I  pulled  one  side  up  and  my  wife  pressed  the 
other  side  down,  standing  on  the  spokes  with  a  full  appreciation  of 
the  importance  of  her  weight.  We  put  the  rudder  around  a  little 
to  the  starboard,  I  think  it  was  ;  and  then  we  watched  the  clouds, 
the  only  points  of  comparison  we  had,  to  see  if  it  steered  any. 
We  were  pretty  sure  it  did.  If  the  clouds  did  not  move  so  as  to 
deceive  us,  our  bow  had  certainly  turned  a  little  to  the  right,  and  I 
also  found  that  there  was  a  difference  in  the  swelling  of  the  sail. 
We  then  brought  the  rudder  back  as  before,  and  the  sail  filled  out 
again  beautifully.  Then  we  knew  that  we  could  steer. 

"  The  success  pleased  us  wonderfully.  We  forgot  our  danger- 
ous situation,  our  loneliness,  and  our  helplessness.  Indeed,  we 
ceased  to  consider  ourselves  helpless.  Could  we  not  make  this 
great  vessel  go,  and  even  alter  its  course  if  we  chose  ? 

"  My  wife  wished  thoroughly  to  understand  the  master. 


11 


UP  TO  THE   PILOT-HOUSE  WE  RUSHED,  AND  WE  BOTH  TOOK  HOLD  OF  THE  GREAT  WHEEL.' 


A   FORTUNATE  OPENING.  69 

"  *  How  fast  do  you  think  we  are  going  ?'  said  she. 

"  I  replied  that  a  mile  an  hour  was  perhaps  as  high  a  rate  of 
speed  as  we  could  claim,  but  she  thought  we  were  doing  better 
than  that.  The  Gulf  Stream  itself  would  carry  us  some  miles  an 
hour — she  had  read  how  many,  but  had  forgotten — and  certainly 
our  sail  would  help  a  great  deal,  besides  keeping  the  steamer  from 
drifting  along  stern  foremost. 

"  '  And  then/  she  said,  '  as  long  as  the  vessel  is  movii,&  at  all, 
which  way  do  you  think  it  would  be  best  to  steer  it  ? ' 

"  I  had  been  thinking  over  that  matter,  and  had  come  to  the 
conclusion  that,  with  our  limited  facilities  for  moving  the  steamer, 
it  would  be  well  to  keep  before  the  wind.  Indeed,  I  did  not  know 
any  other  way  to  sail  than  this,  which  was  exactly  the  principle  on 
which,  when  I  was  a  boy,  I  used  to  sail  little  shingle  boats  with 
paper  squaresails  upon  a  pond. 

"  And  thus  we  sailed  the  vessel.  We  steered  merely  enough 
to  keep  the  wind  behind  us  ;  and,  as  it  blew  from  the  south,  I  was 
well  satisfied  with  our  course,  for  I  knew  that  if  we  sailed  north 
long  enough,  we  should  near  some  part  of  the  coast  of  the  United 
States,  where  we  should  be  certain  to  meet  vessels  that  would 
rescue  us. 

"  The  wind  soon  began  to  grow  stronger,  and  it  was  not  long 
before  we  were  moving  on  at  a  rate  which  was  quite  perceptible. 
We  did  not  remain  in  the  pilot-house  all  the  time.  I  frequently 
tied  the  wheel  so  that  the  rudder  could  not  '  wobble/  as  my  wife 
expressed  it,  and  went  up  again  when  the  conduct  of  the  sail 
seemed  to  indicate  that  a  little  steering  was  needed.  At  night  I 
tied  up  the  wheel  with  the  rudder  straight  behind  us — I  wish  I 
could  express  the  matter  more  nautically — lighted  our  deck-lights, 
and  went  to  bed.  The  first  night  the  wind  was  quite  violent,  and 
I  was  afraid  it  would  blow  our  sail  away,  but  there  was  no  help  for 


7o  A   FORTUNATE  OPENING. 

it.  I  could  not  take  the  sail  in,  nor  did  I  wish  to  cut  it  loose,  for  I 
might  never  get  it  back  again  if  the  wind  continued.  So  I  saw 
that  everything  was  as  tight  and  as  strong  as  I  could  make  it,  and 
then  I  retired  in  the  hope  that  I  would  find  it  all  right  in  the 
morning,  which  I  did. 

"  One  night — I  think  it  was  the  fourth  night  after  we  set  our 
sail — we  were  just  going  below  to  our  stateroom,  when  my  wife 
looked  over  the  side  of  the  vessel  and  gave  a  scream. 

"  '  A  light ! '  she  cried  ;  '  a  vessel  ! '  I  looked  and  saw  it.  It 
was  a  little  speck  of  light  down  on  the  top  of  the  water  in  the 
horizon. 

"  '  Look  at  it ! '  she  said,  clutching  my  arm.  '  Now  it's  down 
behind  the  waves — now  it's  up  again  !  How  regularly  it  rises  and 
falls  I  Do  you  think — oh,  do  you  really  think  it  is  coming  this 
way  ?' 

"  I  stood  staring  at  it.  At  last  I  spoke.  '  It  is  not  a  vessel/  I 
said  ;  'it  is  a  lighthouse  with  an  intermittent  light.' 

"She  threw  her  arms  around  my  neck.  'Oh,  happiness! 
happiness ! '  she  cried  ;  '  it  is  land  ! '  And  then  she  fainted. 

"  I  carried  her  below  and  laid  her  in  her  berth.  I  did  not  try 
to  revive  her,  but  with  a  chilling  sensation  of  despair  I  ran  to  the 
pilot-house.  The  thought  of  land  brought  no  happiness  to  me. 
In  a  few  hours  we  might  be  beating  to  pieces  on  the  shore  where 
stood  that  light  of  warning.  With  all  my  strength  I  put  the 
rudder  around  so  as  to  turn  the  ship's  bow  away  from  the  light. 
Whether  or  not  the  wind  would  serve  in  the  new  direction  I  could 
not  tell,  but  I  felt  that  I  must  do  all  that  I  could — and  this  was  all. 
I  tied  up  the  wheel  and  went  down  to  my  wife.  I  found  her 
sitting  up.  To  her  excited  inquiries  in  regard  to  our  approach  to 
shore,  and,  as  she  thought,  to  a  safe  end  to  our  strange  voyage,  I 
told  her  that  I  would  avoid,  if  possible,  drawing  near  to  the  coast 


A   FORTUNATE  OPENING. 


at  night — that  in  the  morning  we  would  be  able  to  see  what  we 
were  about. 

"  After  she  had  gone  to  sleep  I  went  on  deck  again,  and  I 
stayed  there  all  night,  going  below  at  intervals.  An  hour  or  two 
before  dawn  the  light  disappeared  altogether.  We  had  floated  or 
sailed  away  from  it — at  least  I  had  reason  to  hope  so.  When  the 
day  broke,  bright  and  clear,  I  got  a  glass  from  the  captain's  room, 
but  could  see  no  sign  of  land. 

"  My  wife  was  much  disappointed  when  she  came  on  deck,  but  I 
explained  that  we  did  not  wish  to  make  a  landing  in  this  ship.  But  if 
we  were  near  the  coast  we  must  soon  meet  some  vessel ;  so  we  kept 
the  ship  before  the  wind  as  well  as  we  could,  and  waited  and  looked 
out,  and  hoped  and  feared,  and  that  afternoon  we  saw  a  sail. 

"It  was  a  small  vessel  and  was  approaching  us.  It  grew  larger 
and  larger.  I  made  it  out  to  be  a  schooner.  We  stood  hand  in 
hand,  with  our  eyes  steadily  fixed  upon  it.  It  came  nearer  and 
nearer.  It  was  a  pilot-boat.  Soon  we  could  distinguish  a  great 
figure  3  upon  its  well-filled  sail. 

"In  an  hour,  apparently,  but  it  may  have  been  in  much  less 
time  than  that,  the  pilot  with  four  negro  men  clambered  on  board. 
They  came  up  a  rope-ladder  that  I  let  down  to  them.  I  had  a 
nervous  time  finding  the  ladder,  which  I  had  not  noticed  until  they 
called  for  it. 

"  I  cannot  attempt  to  describe  our  feelings,  or  the  amazement 
of  the  men  when  I  told  our  story.  We  were  off  Charleston,  South 
Carolina.  I  asked  the  pilot  if  he  could  take  us  in  with  our  sails. 
He  said  he  thought  he  could  take  us  along  until  we  could  signal  a 
tug,  but  he  did  not  consent  to  do  this  until  he  and  his  men  had 
made  an  examination  of  our  ship's  injuries. 

"'Can't  we  go  ashore  in  the  pilot's  vessel  ?' my  wife  asked. 
"  There  are  some  men  on  board  of  it.  They  could  take  us  in.' 


72  A   FORTUNATE  OPENING. 

"  *  No,  my  dear/  I  said.  '  Let  us  stick  to  our  steamer.  She 
has  floated  well  enough  so  far,  and  she  will  bear  us  to  shore,  I 
think/ 

"  So  she  consented  to  stay  by  the  steamer,  and  she  felt  better 
about  it  when  she  saw  how  the  men  set  to  work.  They  went 
about  it  as  if  they  knew  how.  They  laughed  at  our  foresail  and 
they  set  it  right.  I  had  not  imagined  there  was  anything  wrong 
about  it.  They  hauled  up  the  jib  and  set  it.  They  raised  the  big 
mainsail  on  the  after-deck.  The  wind  was  fair  and  strong,  and  now 
the  steamer  really  seemed  to  move.  The  pilot-boat  sailed  rapidly 
away  ahead  of  us.  The  pilot  thought  we  had  been  near  the  inner 
edge  of  the  Gulf  Stream  when  the  collision  occurred.  He  also 
thought  that  our  sail  had  helped  us  along  somewhat  during  our 
voyage  toward  the  coast.  There  had  been  a  strong  southeastern 
breeze  during  most  of  the  time. 

"  The  next  morning  a  tug  met  us,  and  we  were  towed  up  to 
the  city,  and  eventually  found  ourselves  at  anchor  in  the  harbor. 
Our  vessel  was  an  object  of  great  interest,  and  a  number  of  boats 
came  out  to  us.  But  we  did  not  go  on  shore.  I  refused  to  leave 
the  vessel  or  to  allow  anybody  to  advise  me  to  do  or  not  to  do 
anything.  My  wife  set  to  work  to  pack  up  our  effects. 

"  I  sent  a  telegram  to  the  owners  of  the  vessel  in  New  York, 
and  a  note  to  a  lawyer  in  the  city.  The  latter  came  on  board  in 
due  time,  and  I  put  my  case  before  him.  By  his  advice  I  paid  the 
pilot  and  the  captain  of  the  tug — and  this  took  every  dollar  I  had, 
with  some  money  I  borrowed  of  the  lawyer — and  then  I  made, 
through  him,  the  formal  claim  that  I  had  found  the  steamer  aban- 
doned at  sea,  and  that  I  had  brought  her  into  port,  having  em- 
ployed and  paid  for  all  the  assistance  I  had  had,  except  what  was 
given  me  by  my  wife.  And  I  also  demanded  salvage  proportionate 
to  the  value  of  the  vessel  and  cargo. 


A    FORTUNATE    OPENING.  73 

"  This  scheme  came  into  my  head  while  the  pilot-boat  was 
approaching  us  at  sea.  And  therefore  it  was  that  I  declined  to  go 
ashore  in  the  pilot-boat,  and  so  abandon  the  steamer  to  the  pilot 
and  his  men. 

"  There  was  a  lawsuit  brought  by  me.  The  affair  was  sub- 
mitted to  arbitration  and  settled  satisfactorily.  The  pilot  made  a 
claim,  and,  by  advice,  I  allowed  him  a  portion  of  the  salvage. 

"  The  vessel  contained  a  valuable  cargo  of  fine  woods,  coffee, 
and  other  South  American  products,  and,  after  weeks  of  valua- 
tions, appraisements,  and  arbitrations,  during  which  my  wife  went 
home  to  her  boy,  I  came  into  the  possession  of  a  sum  which  was 
to  me  a  modest  fortune.  I  could  again  go  into  business  for  myself, 
or  I  could  live  upon  my  income  in  a  quiet  way  for  the  rest  of  my 
life. 

"  Very  little  water  was  found  in  the  hold  of  ti\z  Joseph  Barker, 
The  panic  among  the  sailors  had  doubtless  been  caused  by  the 
sight  of  the  waves  through  the  gap  in  the  side  of  the  vesselr  and 
by  the  spray  dashing  through  the  aperture — the  extent  of  which 
could  not  be  easily  determined  from  the  inside  on  account  of  the 
arrangement  of  the  cargo. 

"  There  was  great  sorrow  and  anxiety  on  the  part  of  the  fami- 
lies and  friends  of  the  crew  and  passengers  of  the  steamer,  and  I 
received  hundreds  of  letters  and  many  visits  of  inquiry  in  regard 
to  the  probable  fate  of  those  unfortunate  persons,  but  I  could  tell 
very  little,  and  that  little  was  by  no  means  comforting. 

"  In  a  couple  of  weeks,  however,  news  came.  The  ship  that 
had  collided  with  us  had  not  put  back  ;  but,  at  the  end  of  the 
second  day  after  the  disaster,  a  schooner  bound  for  Martinique  had 
picked  up  all  the  boats  except  our  little  one  and  the  overloaded 
boat  of  the  first  mate.  It  had  then  continued  its  voyage,  no 
search  being  made  for  the  steamer,  which  was  supposed  to  have 


74  A   FORTUNATE  OPENING. 

gone  down.  The  survivors  were  brought  to  the  United  States  by 
another  schooner. 

"And  now,  boys,"  said  Mr.  Bartlett,  "  don't  you  think  that  was 
a  very  fortunate  opening  for  a  man  in  my  circumstances  ?  " 

"  What  opening,  sir  ?"  asked  several  of  the  boys. 

"  Why,  the  hole  in  the  side  of  the  ship,"  said  Mr.  Bartlett. 

"  Oh  !  "  exclaimed  the  boys  in  chorus. 


THE   CHRISTMAS   TRUANTS. 


CHRISTMAS  was  coming  a  long  time  ago,  and  the  boys  in 
a  certain  far-away  school  were  talking  and  thinking  about 
it.     Eleven  of  these  youngsters,  who  were  all  great  friends, 
and    generally  kept  together,  whether    at  work    or    play,  held  a 
secret  meeting,  at  which  they  resolved  that  they  were  tired  of  the 
ordinary  ways  of  spending  Christmas. 

"We  are  bored  to  death,"  said  one  of  the  older  boys,  "with 
Christmas  trees,  with  Christmas  games,  with  Christmas  carols, 
and  with  the  hanging-up  of  stockings  on  Christmas  Eve.  Such 
things  may  do  very  well  for  children,  but  we  have  grown  out  of 
them." 

"That's  true  !  "  cried  the  others.  "We've  grown  out  of  that 
kind  of  nonsense." 

"Yes,  sir  !  "  exclaimed  the  smallest  boy  of  all,  who  was  gener- 
ally known  as  Tomtit.  "  We've  grown  out  of  that." 

"  Of  course,"  said  the  biggest  boy,  who  was  called  by  his  com- 
panions Old  Pluck,  because  he  had  never  been  found  to  be  afraid 
of  anything,  "  there  will  be  this  Christmas  childishness  at  the  school, 
just  as  there  has  been  always ;  and  I  propose  that  instead  of  stay- 
ing here  and  submitting  to  it,  we  run  away,  and  have  a  Christmas 
to  suit  ourselves." 

"  Hurrah  !"  cried  the  other  boys.  "  That's  what  we  shall  do. 
Have  a  Christmas  to  suit  ourselves." 


76  THE  CHRISTMAS  TRUANTS. 

In  consequence  of  this  resolution,  on  the  afternoon  of  the  next 
day  but  one  to  Christmas  these  eleven  boys  ran  away  from  school, 
with  the  intention  of  finding  some  place  where  they  would  be  free 
to  celebrate  the  great  holiday  in  whatever  way  they  pleased.  They 
walked  as  fast  as  they  could,  little  Tomtit  keeping  up  bravely  in 
the  rear,  although  he  was  obliged  to  run  almost  as  much  as  he 
walked,  until  they  were  at  a  long  distance  from  the  school.  Night 
was  now  coming  on,  and  Old  Pluck  called  a  halt. 

"  Boys,"  said  he,  "we  will  camp  at  the  edge  of  that  forest,  and 
those  of  you  who  have  brought  bows  and  arrows  had  better  look 
about  and  see  if  you  can't  shoot  some  birds  and  rabbits  for  our 
supper.  The  unarmed  members  must  gather  wood  to  make  a  camp- 
fire.  But  if  you  are  tired,  Tomtit,  you  needn't  do  anything." 

"  Tired  ! "  exclaimed  the  little  fellow,  standing  up  very  straight 
and  throwing  out  his  chest,  "  I  should  like  to  know  why  I  should 
be  tired,  I'll  go  and  bring  some  logs." 

Tomtit  was  very  anxious  to  be  considered  just  as  strong  and 
active  as  the  other  boys.  Every  morning  he  used  to  get  one  of 
his  companions  to  feel  the  muscles  of  his  arms,  to  see  if  they  had 
not  increased  in  size  since  the  day  before. 

The  camp-fire  was  burning  brightly  when  the  boys  with  the 
bows  and  arrows  returned,  stating  that  they  had  found  it  rather  too 
late  in  the  day  for  game,  and  that  it  would  be  better  to  postpone 
the  shooting  of  birds  and  rabbits  till  the  next  morning.  Old  Pluck 
then  asked  the  members  of  his  little  company  what  provisions  they 
had  brought  with  them,  and  it  was  found  that  no  one  except 
Tomtit  had  thought  of  bringing  anything.  He  had  in  his  coat 
pocket  a  luncheon  of  bread  and  meat.  It  was  thereupon  ordered 
that  Tomtit's  luncheon  should  be  divided  into  eleven  portions,  and 
the  little  fellow  was  given  a  knife  with  which  to  cut  it  up. 

It  was  at  this  time  that  there  came  through  the  forest  a  band 


THE  CHRISTMAS   TRUANTS.  77 

of  robbers — five  men  and  a  chief.  These  men,  on  their  way  to 
their  castle,  had  been  talking  about  the  approach  of  Christmas. 

"  I  am  getting  very  tired,"  said  the  chief,  "  of  the  wild  revelries 
with  which  on  great  occasions  we  make  our  castle  ring.  It  would 
be  a  most  agreeable  relief,  methinks,  if  we  could  celebrate  the 
coming  Christmasas  ordinary  people  do.  The  trouble  is,  we  don't 
know  how." 

"  You  speak  well,"  replied  one  of  his  followers.  "  We  would 
be  glad  enough  to  have  the  ordinary  Christmas  festivities  if  we  did 
but  know  how  such  things  are  managed." 

The  conversation  was  cut  short  at  this  point  by  the  discovery 
of  a  camp-fire  at  the  edge  of  the  wood.  Instantly  every  robber 
crouched  close  to  the  ground,  and  crept  silently  to  the  spot  where 
the  boys  were  gathered  „ around  Tomtit,  watching  him  as  he  cut  up 
his  luncheon. 

In  a  few  moments  the  chief  gave  a  whistle,  and  then  the  rob- 
bers rushed  out,  and  each  of  the  men  seized  two  of  the  larger  boys, 
while  the  chief  stooped  down  and  grasped  Tomtit  by  the  collar. 
Some  of  the  boys  kicked  and  scuffled  a  great  deal  ;  but  this  was  of 
no  use,  and  they  were  all  marched  away  to  the  robbers'  castle,  little 
Tomtit  feeling  very  proud  that  it  took  a  whole  man  to  hold  him  by 
the  collar. 

When  they  reached  the  castle  the  boys  were  shut  up  in  a  large 
room,  where  they  were  soon  provided  with  a  plentiful  supper. 
Having  finished  their  meal,  they  were  conducted  to  the  great  hall 
of  the  castle,  where  the  robber  chief  sat  in  his  chair  of  state,  a 
huge  fire  blazing  upon  the  hearth,  while  suits  of  armor,  glitter- 
ing weapons,  and  trophies  of  many  kinds  were  hung  upon  the 
walls. 

The  boys  were  now  ordered  to  tell  their  story,  and  when  Old 
Pluck  had  finished  it  the  chief  addressed  his  captives  thus  :  "I  am 


7 8  THE  CHRISTMAS   TRUANTS. 

sure  that  you  young  fellows  could  never  have  imagined  the  pleas- 
ure you  were  going  to  give  to  me  when  you  determined  to  run 
away  from  school  at  this  happy  season.  My  men  and  myself  have 
a  fancy  for  a  Christmas  like  that  of  other  people.  We  want  a 
Christmas  tree,  Christmas  carols  and  games,  and  all  that  sort  of 
festivity.  We  know  nothing  about  these  things  ourselves,  and 
were  wondering  how  we  could  manage  to  have  the  kind  of  Christ- 
mas we  want.  But  now  that  we  have  you  boys  with  us,  it  will  all 
be  simple  and  easy  enough.  You  shall  celebrate  Christmas  for  us 
in  the  manner  to  which  you  have  always  been  accustomed.  We 
will  provide  you  with  everything  that  is  necessary,  and  we  will  have 
a  good  old  school-and-home  Christmas.  You  shall  even  hang  up 
your  stockings,  and  I  will  see  to  it  that  Santa  Claus  for  the  first 
time  visits  this  castle.  And  now,  my  fine  fellows,  to  bed  with  you, 
and  to-morrow  we  will  all  go  to  work  to  prepare  for  a  good  old- 
fashioned  Christmas." 

The  boys  were  conducted  to  a  large  upper  room,  where  they 
found  eleven  mattresses  spread  out  upon  the  floor.  They  threw 
themselves  upon  their  beds,  but  not  one  of  them  could  close  his 
eyes  through  thinking  of  the  doleful  plight  which  they  were  in. 
They  had  run  away  to  get  rid  of  the  tiresome  old  Christmas  doings, 
and  now  they  were  to  go  through  all  those  very  things  just  to 
please  a  band  of  robbers.  The  thought  of  it  was  insupportable, 
and  for  an  hour  or  two  each  boy  rolled  and  moaned  upon  his 
mattress. 

At  last  Old  Pluck  spoke.  "  Boys,"  he  said,  "all  is  now  quiet 
below,  and  I  believe  those  rascally  robbers  have  gone  to  bed.  Let 
us  wait  a  little  while  longer,  and  then  slip  down-stairs  and  run  away. 
We  can  surely  find  some  door  or  window  which  we  can  open,  and 
I,  for  one,  am  not  willing  to  stay  here  and  act  the  part  of  a  Christ- 
mas slave  for  the  pleasure  of  these  bariditb." 


THEY    WERE    MARCHED    AWAY    TO    THE    ROBBERS*    CAVE. 


THE  CHRISTMAS    TRUANTS.  81 

"  No,"  exclaimed  Tomtit,  sitting  up  in  bed,  so  as  to  expand  his 
chest,  "  we  will  never  consent  to  that." 

The  boys  eagerly  agreed  to  Old  Pluck's  plan,  and  in  about  half 
an  hour  they  quietly  arose  and  stole  toward  the  stairs.  The  full 
moon  was  shining  in  through  the  windows,  so  that  they  could  see 
perfectly  well  where  they  were  going.  They  had  gone  a  short  dis- 
tance down  the  great  staircase,  when  Old  Pluck,  who  led  the  way, 
heard  a  slight  noise  behind  him.  Turning  to  inquire  what  this  was, 
he  was  told  it  was  the  cracking  of  Tomtit's  knees. 

"  Pass  the  word  to  Tomtit,"  he  said,  in  a  whisper,  "  that  if  he 
can't  keep  his  knees  from  cracking  he  must  stay  where  he  is." 

Poor  little  Tomtit,  who  brought  up  the  rear,  was  dreadfully 
troubled  when  he  heard  this,  but  he  bravely  passed  the  word  back 
that  his  knees  should  not  crack  any  more,  and  the  line  moved  on. 

It  was  difficult  now  for  Tomtit  to  take  a  step,  for  if  he  bent  his 
knees  they  were  sure  to  crack.  He  tried  going  down-stairs  stiff- 
legged,  like  a  pair  of  scissors,  but  this  he  found  almost  impossible, 
so  he  made  up  his  mind  that  the  only  thing  he  could  do  was  to 
slide  down  the  broad  banister.  He  was  used  to  this  feat,  and  he 
performed  it  with  much  dexterity.  The  banister,  however,  was  very 
smooth  and  steep,  and  he  went  down  much  faster  than  he  intended, 
shooting  off  at  the  bottom,  and  landing  on  the  floor  on  the  broad 
of  his  back. 

The  boys  were  now  in  the  great  hall,  and  seeing  a  light  in  the 
adjoining  room  they  looked  into  it.  There,  upon  couches  made 
of  the  skins  of  wild  beasts,  they  saw  the  six  robbers,  fast  asleep. 
A  happy  thought  now  came  into  the  mind  of  Old  Pluck.  Stepping 
back,  he  looked  around  him,  and  soon  perceived  in  one  corner  of 
the  hall  a  quantity  of  rich  stuffs  and  other  booty,  bound  up  into 
bundles  with  heavy  cords.  Taking  out  his  knife  he  quickly  cut  off 
a  number  of  these  cords  and  gave  them  to  his  companions. 


82  THE   CHRISTMAS   TRUANTS. 

"  Boys,"  he  then  whispered,  "  I  have  thought  of  a  splendid 
plan.  Let  us  bind  these  robbers  hand  and  foot,  and  then,  instead 
of  doing  what  they  want  us  to  do,  we  can  make  them  do  what  we 
want.  That  will  be  ever  so  much  better  fun  than  running  away." 

"  Good  ! "  said  the  boys.  "  But  suppose  they  wake  up  while 
we  are  tying  them  ?  " 

"If  we  are  truly  brave,"  said  Old  Pluck,  "we  must  just  go 
ahead,  and  not  think  of  anything  like  that." 

"  Yes,  sir,"  said  Tomtit,  straightening  himself  and  throwing  out 
his  chest,  "we  mustn't  think  of  anything  of  that  sort." 

The  little  fellow  was  terribly  frightened  at  the  idea  of  going 
into  that  room  and  tying  those  big,  savage  men,  but  if  the  other 
fellows  did  it,  he  was  bound  to  do  it  too. 

The  boys  now  softly  slipped  into  the  room,  and  as  the  robbers 
slept  very  soundly,  it  was  not  long  before  they  were  all  securely 
bound  hand  and  foot,  Old  Pluck  going  around  himself  to  see  that 
every  cord  was  well  drawn  and  knotted.  Then,  motioning  to  the 
boys  to  follow  him,  he  went  into  the  great  hall,  and  there  he  ordered 
his  companions  to  arm  themselves. 

This  command  was  obeyed  with  delight  by  the  boys.  Some 
took  swords,  some  spears,  while  others  bound  around  their  waists 
great  belts  containing  daggers  and  knives.  Old  Pluck  laid  hold  of 
a  huge  battleaxe,  while  Tomtit  clapped  on  his  head  the  chiefs  hat, 
ornamented  with  eagle  plumes,  and  took  into  his  hand  a  thin, 
sharp  rapier,  the  blade  of  which  was  quite  as  long  as  himself. 

When  all  were  ready,  the  boys  reentered  the  other  room,  and, 
with  their  weapons  in  their  hands,  stood  over  the  sleeping  robbers. 
Raising  his  heavy  battleaxe  high  above  the  head  of  the  chief,  Old 
Pluck  called  out  to  him  to  awake.  Instantly  every  man  opened 
his  eyes,  and  struggled  to  rise.  But  when  they  found  their  hands 
and  feet  were  tied,  and  saw  the  boys  with  their  swords  and  spears 


THE  CHRISTMAS    TRUANTS.  S3 

standing  over  them,  and  heard  Old  Pluck's  loud  voice  ordering 
them  not  to  move,  every  robber  lay  flat  on  his  back,  and  remained 
perfectly  still. 

"  Now,  then,"  said  Old  Pluck  to  the  chief,  "  if  you  do  not  prom- 
ise that  you  and  your  men  will  obey  me  for  the  next  two  days,  I 
will  split  your  head  with  this  axe." 

"  I  am  willing  to  parley  with  you,"  said  the  chief,  "and  will 
listen  to  all  you  have  to  say;  but  for  mercy's  sake  put  down  that 
battleaxe.  It  is  too  heavy  for  you,  and  you  will  let  it  drop  on  me 
without  intending  it." 

"  No,"  said  Old  Pluck,  steadying  the  great  axe  as  well  as  he 
could,,  "  I  will  hold  it  over  you  until  we  have  made  our  bargain." 

"  Speak  quickly,  then,"  said  the  chief,  his  face  turning  pale  as 
he  looked  up  at  the  trembling  axe. 

"  All  you  have  to  do,"  said  Old  Pluck,  "  is  to  promise  that  you 
and  your  men  will  do  everything  that  we  tell  you  to  do  to-morrow 
and  next  day.  You  will  not  find  our  tasks  at  all  difficult,  and  it 
will  only  be  for  two  days,  you  know." 

"Any  sort  of  task,  if  it  lasted  a  year,"  said  the  chief,  "would 
be  better  than  having  you  staggering  over  me  with  that  battleaxe. 
I  promise  without  reserve  for  myself  and  men." 

"Very  good,"  said  Old  Pluck,  letting  down  his  axe  as  carefully 
as  he  could.  "  And  now  we  will  set  you  free." 

The  men  were  untied,  and  the  boys  went  to  bed,  and  the  next 
mornmg  all  breakfasted  together  in  the  great  hall.  When  the  meal 
was  over  the  chief  pushed  back  his  chair,  and  addressed  the  boys. 

"  Now,  then,  my  young  friends,"  said  he,  "  what  is  it  tha:  you 
wish  me  and  my  men  to  do  ?  " 

Then  stood  up  Old  Pluck  and  said,  "  We  boys,  as  I  told  you 
before,  ran  away  from  school  because  we  are  tired  of  the  old  hum- 
drutil  Christmas,  and  nothing  better  could  have  happened  to  us 


84  THE  CHRISTMAS    TRUANTS. 

than  to  get  you  fine  fellows  into  our  power,  as  we  have  done.  It 
will  be  the  jolliest  thing  in  the  world  for  us  to  see  you  and  your 
band  go  through  all  the  wild  feats  and  bold  exploits  which  belong 
to  robber  life  ;  and  we  would  like  you  to  begin  now,  and  keep  it 
up  all  day  and  to-morrow." 

"  But  what  would  you  have  us  do  ?  "  asked  the  chief,  somewhat 
surprised. 

"  I  should  like  to  see  you  sack  a  village,"  said  Old  Pluck. 
"  How  would  that  suit  you,  boys?" 

The  boys  all  declared  that  they  thought  that  would  do  very 
well,  to  begin  with. 

The  chief  turned  to  his  lieutenant  and  said,  "  Is  there  any  vil- 
lage round  here  that  has  not  been  recently  sacked  ?  " 

The  lieutenant  reflected  a  moment.  "  There  is  Buville,"  he 
said.  "  We  haven't  been  there  for  six  months." 

"  Very  good,"  said  the  captain,  rising;  "we'll  sack  Buville." 

In  a  short  time  the  robber  band,  followed  by  the  eleven  boys, 
set  out  for  Buville,  a  few  miles  distant.  When  they  came  within 
sight  of  the  village  the  chief  ordered  his  company  to  get  behind 
a  hedge  which  ran  on  one  side  of  the  road,  and  thus  stealthily 
approach  the  place. 

As  soon  as  they  were  near  enough  the  chief  gave  a  loud  whistle, 
and  the  whole  company  rushed  wildly  into  the  main  street.  The 
robbers  flashed  their  drawn  swords  in  the  sunlight  and  brandished 
their  spears,  while  the  boys  jumped  and  howled  like  so  many 
apprentice  bandits. 

"  Buville  is  ours  !  "  cried  the  chief.  "  Come  forth,  ye  base  vil- 
lagers, and  pay  us  tribute." 

"  Come  forth  ! "  yelled  little  Tomtit.  "  Surrender,  and  trib  ! — 
I  mean,  pay  tribute." 

At  this  the  people  began  to  flock  into  the  street ;  and  presently 


THE  CHRISTMAS   TRUANTS.  85 

the  principal  man  of  the  village  appeared,  carrying  a  sheet  of  paper 
and  pen  and  ink. 

"  Good-morning,  bold  sir,"  he  said,  addressing  the  chief. 
"  And  what  is  it  you'll  have  to-day  ?  Shall  we  begin  with  flour  ? 
How  will  two  barrels  do  ?  " 

The  chief  nodded,  and  the  man  wrote  down  on  his  paper,  two 
barrels  of  flour. 

"  Sugar,  hams,  and  eggs,  I  suppose  ? "  continued  the  man. 

The  chief  assented,  and  these  were  written  down. 

"  Sundry  groceries,  of  course?"  said  he.  "And  would  you 
care  for  any  rich  stuffs  ?  " 

"  Well,  I  don't  know  that  we  need  any  just  now,"  said  the 
chief ;  "  but  you  might  throw  in  enough  gold-threaded  blue  taffeta 
to  make  a  jerkin  for  that  little  codger  back  there." 

"  Three-quarters  of  a  yard  of  blue  taffeta,"  wrote  the  man. 
And  then  he  looked  up  and  asked  :  "  Anything  else  to-day?" 

"  I  believe  not,"  said  the  chief.  And  then,  brandishing  his 
sword,  he  shouted,  "  Back  to  your  homes,  base  villagers,  and  thank 
your  stars  that  I  let  ye  off  so  easily." 

"  Home  with  ye  !  "  shouted  Tomtit,  "and  keep  on  star-thank- 
ing till  we  come  again." 

"You  need  be  in  no  hurry  about  sending  those  things,"  said 
the  chief  to  the  principal  man,  as  he  was  about  to  leave,  "  except 
the  taffeta.  I'd  like  to  have  that  to-day." 

"  Very  good,"  said  the  other  ;  "  I'll  send  it  immediately." 

As  the  robbers  and  boys  departed,  the  latter  were  not  at  all 
slow  to  say  that  they  were  very  much  disappointed  at  what  they 
had  seen.  It  was  tamer  than  a  game  of  football. 

"  The  fact  is,"  said  the  chief,  "  these  villages  have  been  sacked 
so  often  that  the  people  are  used  to  it,  and  they  just  walk  out 
and  pay  up  without  making  any  row  about  it.  It's  the  easiest 


86  THE  CHRISTMAS   TRUANTS. 

way,  both  for  them  and  for  us  ;  but  I  admit  that  it  is  not  very 
exciting." 

"  I  should  say  not,"  said  Old  Pluck.  "  What  I  want  is  'the  wild 
rush  and  dash,  the  clink  and  the  clank,  and  the  jingly-jank,  hi-ho  ! ' " 

"  That's  so  ! "  shouted  little  Tomtit.  "  '  The  clink  and  the 
clank,  and  the  jingly-jank,  ho-hi  ! ' ' 

"  I  think  we'll  next  try  a  highway  robbery,"  said  Old  Pluck, 
"  and  stop  a  company  of  travellers  on  the  road.  That  must  be 
exciting." 

The  boys  all  shouted  their  assent  to  this  plan,  and  the  robber 
chief  led  the  way  to  the  nearest  highroad. 

Here  the  whole  party  concealed  themselves  behind  rocks  and 
bushes,  and  waited  patiently  for  a  company  of  travellers  to  pass 
by.  It  was  a  long,  long  time  before  anybody  came,  and  Tomtit 
had  a  sound  nap  in  the  shade  of  a  hedge. 

At  last  dust  was  seen  in  the  distance,  and  before  long  five 
horsemen  came  riding  up.  They  were  all  elderly  men,  and  each 
of  them  led  a  mule  or  a  horse,  loaded  with  heavy  panniers  and 
packages.  With  drawn  swords  and  brandished  spears  the  robbers 
rushed  out,  followed  by  the  boys,  with  yells  and  shouts.  Instantly 
the  elderly  men  stopped  and  descended  from  their  horses. 

11  We  surrender,"  said  the  leader  to  the  robber  chief,  "  but  we 
pray  you  will  not  pillage  us  utterly.  We  are  going  to  seek  a  new 
home  for  our  families,  and  for  the  money  we  get  for  the  sale  of 
these  goods  we  hope  to  buy  the  little  land  we  need.  If  you  take 
these,  you  leave  us  nothing." 

The  chief  turned  to  Old  Pluck,  and  said  :  "  Well,  what  shall 
we  do  about  it  ?  Shall  we  take  their  goods  ?  " 

"  If  you  set  out  to  do  a  thing,"  said  Old  Pluck,  "  I  don't  see 
why  you  don't  do  it.  There's  no  sense  in  backing  down." 

"  That's    so  !  "   cried  Tomtit,  who  had  just   wakened    up,   and 


THE  CHRISTMAS    TRUANTS.  87 


pushed  his  way  through  the  hedge.  "  No  backing  down.  Your 
money  or  your  lives,  travellers.  Take  notice  of  that." 

"  Lead  away  the  horses  and  mules,"  said  the  chief  to  his  men, 
"and  let  the  travellers  go." 

As  they  were  leaving  the  scene  of  this  exploit  Old  Pluck  did 
not  feel  altogether  easy  in  his  mind.  "  There  used  to  be  a  good 
habit  among  robbers,"  he  said  to  the  chief,  "and  that  was  to  give 
to  the  poor  what  they  took  from  the  rich.  We  will  go  along  this 
road  until  we  meet  some  really  poor  people,  and  we  will  give  them 
these  goods." 

The  robbers  and  boys,  with  the  loaded  horses  and  mules, 
walked  along  the  road  for  nearly  an  hour,  but  met  with  no  poor 
people.  At  last  the  chief  declared  that  it  was  time  to  turn  and  go 
back  to  the  castle,  if  they  wanted  to  be  there  by  dinner-time.  The 
boys  were  very  willing  to  go  to  dinner,  and  the  whole  party  re- 
traced their  steps. 

When  they  reached  the  spot  where  they  had  robbed  the  travel- 
lers they  were  surprised  to  see  the  five  elderly  men  sitting  by  the 
roadside,  groaning  mournfully. 

"  What,  here  yet  !  "  cried  the  chief.     "  What's  the  matter  ?  " 

"  There  is  no  use  going  anywhere,"  sadly  replied  the  leader. 
"  We  have  no  money  with  which  to  buy  even  food  to  eat,  and  no 
goods  to  sell.  We  might  as  well  die  here  as  in  any  other  place." 

"  Boys,"  exclaimed  Old  Pluck,  after  gazing  a  few  moments  on 
the  unfortunate  group,  "  I  don't  believe  we  will  ever  find  anybody 
as  poor  as  these  travellers  now  are.  Let  us  give  them  the  goods." 

"  All  right ! "  shouted  the  boys.  And  the  loaded  horses  and 
mules  were  delivered  to  their  former  owners. 

After  dinner  the  boys  began  to  grumble  a  good  deal  at  the 
disappointments  of  the  morning. 

"  We've  done  nothing  yet,"  cried  Old  Pluck,  "  that  is  half  ex- 


88  THE  CHRISTMAS  TRUANTS. 

citing  enough,  and  we  are  bound  to  have  a  good  time  this  after- 
noon. I  go  in  for  burning  a  town." 

"  Hurrah  ! "  said  the  boys.     "  We'll  burn  a  town  ! " 

"  That  is  a  very  serious  thing,"  said  the  chief.  "  Can't  you 
think  of  something  else  ?  " 

Old  Pluck  looked  at  him  reproachfully.  "  We  want  something 
serious,"  he  said.  "  What  we've  had  so  far  is  nothing  but  child's 
play." 

The  chief  now  saw  that  if  he  persisted  in  his  objections  he 
would  hurt  the  feelings  of  the  boys,  and  so  he  consented  to  burn 
a  town.  A  few  miles  to  the  south  there  was  a  good-svzed  town, 
which  the  chief  thought  would  burn  very  well,  and  thither  the  boys 
and  robbers  repaired,  carrying  blazing  torches  and  firebrands. 

When  they  reached  the  town  and  had  proclaimed  their  purpose 
the  inhabitants  were  filled  with  consternation.  The  people  crowded 
into  the  street,  and  besought  the  robbers  not  to  consume  by  fire 
their  houses,  their  goods,  and  perhaps  themselves  and  their  chil- 
dren. The  chief  now  took  the  boys  aside,  and  consulted  with 
them. 

"  I  wish  you  would  consider  this  matter  a  little  more  before  you 
order  me  to  set  this  town  in  flames.  I  am  told  that  there  is  a 
magazine  filled  with  gunpowder  in  the  centre  of  the  place,  and 
there  will  be  a  terrible  explosion  when  the  fire  reaches  it." 

"  Hurrah  !  "  cried  the  boys  ;  "  that  will  be  splendid." 

"  Many  of  these  citizens  will  lose  their  lives,"  said  the  chief, 
"and  the  rest  will  be  utterly  ruined." 

"  Now,  look  here,"  cried  Old  Pluck,  "  there's  no  use  of  always 
backing  down.  I'm  tired  of  it." 

"Very  well,"  said  the  chief,  "but  you  yourselves  must  inform 
the  people  of  your  decision." 

"We'll  do  that,"  said  Old  Pluck.     "Tomtit,  you  go  tell  those 


THE  CHRISTMAS   TRUANTS.  89 

people  that  the  town  has  got  to  burn,  and  there's  no  use  talking  any 
more  about  it." 

"  That's  so,"  said  Tomtit.  "  She  has  got  to  burn."  And  with 
his  chest  thrown  out,  and  his  hands  in  his  pockets,  the  little  fellow 
boldly  advanced  to  the  crowd  of  people. 

As  soon  as  he  came  near  the  old  men,  the  women,  and  the  chil- 
dren fell  on  their  knees  around  him,  and  with  tears  and  lamenta- 
tions besought  him  to  intercede  with  the  robbers  to  save  their 
town.  Poor  little  Tomtit  was  very  much  moved  by  their  wild  grief 
and  despair.  Tears  came  into  his  eyes,  and  his  little  chest  heaved 
with  emotion ;  but  he  kept  up  a  brave  heart,  and  stood  true  to  his 
companions. 

"  It's  no  use,"  he  said,  "for  you  to  be  blubbering  and  crying. 
Your  houses  have  all  got  to  be  burned  up,  and  the  powder-magazine 
has  got  to  go  off  with  a  big  bang,  and  your  furniture  and  beds  will 
all  be  burned,  and  the  babies'  cradles,  and — and — I'm  awful  sorry 
for  it,"  and  here  the  tears  rolled  down  his  cheeks;  "but  we  boys 
have  got  to  stick  by  each  other,  and  you  won't  have  any  homes, 
and  I  expect  you  will  all  perish — boo-hoo  !  But  it  won't  do  to  back 
down — boo-hoo-hoo  !  And  the  little  babies  will  die  ;  but  the  old 
thing  has  got  to  burn,  you  know." 

"  Now  look  here,  Tomtit,"  said  Old  Pluck,  who,  with  the  rest 
of  the  boys,  had  drawn  near,  "  don't  you  be  too  hard  on  these 
people.  I  say,  let  the  town  stand." 

The  boys  agreed  with  one  voice.  And  Tomtit,  kicking  one  of 
his  little  legs  above  his  head,  shouted  in  ecstasy,  "Yes,  sir,  let 
the  town  stand,  babies  and  all." 

At  this  the  women  rushed  up  to  the  little  fellow,  and,  seizing 
him  in  their  arms,  nearly  kissed  him  to  death. 

"  I'd  like  to  know  what  we  are  to  do  next,"  sadly  remarked  Old 
Pluck. 


90  THE  CHRISTMAS  TRUANTS. 

"  I'll  tell  you,"  cried  Tomtit.     "  Let  the  chief  steal  a  bride." 

The  whole  company  stopped  and  looked  at  Tomtit.  "  Little 
boy,"  said  they,  "what  do  you  mean  ?" 

"Why,  of  course,"  said  Tomtit,  "I  mean  for  the  chief  to  seize 
a  fair  damsel  and  carry  her  off  on  his  horse  to  be  his  bride,  the 
wild  hoofs  clattering  amid  the  crags." 

"  Hoot !  "  cried  all  the  boys  in  derision.  And  the  chief  said  to 
Tomtit :  M  Little  boy,  I  know  of  no  fair  damsel  to  steal,  and,  be- 
sides, I  do  not  want  a  bride." 

"  It's  pretty  hard,"  said  Tomtit,  wiping  his  eyes  with  his  little 
sleeve.  "I've  done  just  what  you  fellows  told  me  to,  and  now  you 
won't  order  anything  I  want  to  see." 

That  night  the  boys  ordered  the  robbers  to  hold  high  revels  in 
the  great  hall.  The  flowing  bowl  was  passed,  and  the  great  flagons 
were  filled  high  ;  wild  songs  were  sung,  and  the  welkin  was  made 
to  ring,  as  well  as  the  robbers  could  do  it,  with  jovial  glee.  The 
boys  watched  the  proceedings  for  some  time,  but  they  did  not  find 
them  very  interesting,  and  soon  went  to  bed. 

The  next  morning  Old  Pluck  called  a  meeting  of  his  compan- 
ions. "  Boys,"  he  said,  "  this  robber  life  is  a  good  deal  stupider 
than  anything  we  left  behind  us.  Let's  get  back  to  school  as 
fast  as  we  can,  and  enjoy  what  is  left  of  the  Christmas  fun.  We 
will  all  admit  that  we  are  sorry  for  what  we  have  done,  and  will 
promise  not  to  run  away  again,  and  Tomtit  can  go  to  the  master 
and  tell  him  so." 

"  I'll  be  the  first  one  whipped,"  ruefully  remarked  Tomtit ;  "  but 
if  you  boys  say  so,  of  course  I'll  do  it." 

The  boys  now  took  leave  of  the  robbers,  Tomtit  having  been 
first  presented  with  the  piece  of  blue  taffeta  to  make  him  a  jerkin. 
When  they  reached  the  school  Tomtit  told  his  tale,  and  he  was  the 
only  one  who  was  not  punished. 


THE  CHRISTMAS   TRUANTS.  91 


The  next  year  these  eleven  boys  were  leaving  school  for  a  va- 
cation, and  on  their  way  home  they  thought  they  would  stop  and 
see  their  old  friends,  the  robbers.  Much  to  their  surprise,  they 
found  everything  changed  at  the  castle.  It  was  now  a  boys'  school ; 
the  chie?  was  the  principal,  and  each  of  the  other  robbers  was  a 
teacher. 

"  You  see,"  said  the  principal  to  Old  Pluck,  "  we  never  knew 
how  stupid  and  uninteresting  a  robber's  life  was  until  we  were 
forced  to  lead  it  against  our  will.  While  you  were  here  we  learned 
to  like  boys  very  much,  and  so  we  concluded  to  set  up  this  school." 

"  Do  you  have  Christmas  trees,  and  carols,  and  games  ?  " 

"  Oh,  yes,"  answered  the  principal. 

"  So  do  we,"  said  Old  Pluck. 

"Yes,  sir,"  exclaimed  Tomtit,  standing  up  very  straight.  "No 
more  fire  and  tribute  for  us.  We've  grown  out  of  that  kind  of 


nonsense." 


THE  TRICYCLE  OF  THE  FUTURF 


FRED  HUMPHREYS  was  a  boy  of  an  original  mind;  that 
is  to  say,  he  was  very  fond  of  thinking  for  himself  and  doing 
things  of  which  he  had  never  either  heard  or  read.  This 
may  or  may  not  be  a  good  disposition  in  a  boy.  It  depends  alto- 
gether upon  what  kind  of  a  boy  he  is.  If  he  mixes  a  great  deal  of 
reason  with  his  original  thinking — if  he  is  able  to  see  when  he  has 
made  a  mistake,  and  is  willing  to  acknowledge  it — and  if  he  is  of  a 
prudent  turn  of  mind,  and  is  not  likely  to  dive  into  a  new  enter- 
prise until  he  knows  how  deep  it  is  and  whether  or  not  the  current 
is  too  strong  for  him,  it  may  be  very  well  for  him  to  do  his  own 
thinking.  But  if  he  does  not  possess  these  requisites,  it  would  be 
better,  until  he  is  older,  to  let  some  one  else  attend  to  this  matter 
for  him. 

Fred  was  an  only  son,  and  his  father  was  desirous  that  he 
should  find  out  as  much  as  possible  for  himself  during  his  boyhood. 
He  was  to  be  a  business  man,  and  would  probably  have  a  great 
many  ups  and  downs  in  the  course  of  his  life  ;  and  Mr.  Humphreys 
had  an  idea  that  if  his  son  could  get  through  with  some  of  the 
"downs"  during  his  minority,  the  experience  he  would  thereby 
gain  would  prevent  his  having  just  as  many  of  them  in  after  life, 
when  they  would  be  much  more  important. 

When  the  bicycle  came  into  use  in  this  country  Fred  Hum- 
phreys was  one  of  the  first  boys  who  had  one.  When  an  improved 


THE  TRICYCLE  OF   THE  FUTURE.  93 

form  of  the  machine  was  invented  Fred  sold  his  old  one,  and  his 
father  added  money  enough  to  what  he  received  to  buy  one  of  the 
new  kind.  This  change  from  good  to  better  occurred  several 
times  ;  and  when  the  tricycle  came  before  the  public  Fred  gave  up 
his  last  bicycle,  and  bought  one  of  the  three-wheeled  machines, 
and,  after  using  this  for  some  months,  he  disposed  of  it,  and 
became  the  possessor  of  a  first-class  double  tricycle,  that  would 
carry  two  persons.  Sometimes  with  his  sister,  and  sometimes  with 
a  boy  friend,  Fred  made  excursions  in  this  tricycle  through  the 
country  round  about  the  town  in  which  he  lived. 

This  town  was  situated  in  the  interior  of  one  of  our  northern 
States.  It  was  much  frequented  in  the  summer-time  as  a  watering- 
place,  and  some  of  the  roads  leading  to  hotels  and  places  of 
popular  resort  in  the  neighborhood  were  unusually  smooth  and 
well  made,  and,  therefore,  admirably  adapted  to  bicycles  and  tri- 
cycles. On  these  fine  roads  Fred  and  his  machine  soon  became 
almost  as  well  known  as  were  the  famous  "  tally-hoes,"  with  four  or 
six  horses,  which  in  the  season  made  regular  trips  between  the 
town  and  various  pleasant  spots  in  the  surrounding  country. 

But,  much  as  Fred  enjoyed  his  tricycle,  he  became  convinced  in 
time  that  there  might  be  something  better  ;  and  as  nothing  better 
had,  as  yet,  been  invented  by  any  one  else,  he  determined,  if 
possible,  to  invent  it  himself.  The  idea  which  gradually  developed 
itself  in  his  mind  was  this  :  if  a  boy  can  pull  a  vehicle,  say,  a  tri- 
cycle, at  the  rate  of  a  certain  number  of  miles  per  hour,  and  with 
an  amount  of  exertion  which  he  can  keep  up  for  a  certain  time, 
and  if  that  boy,  by  getting  into  that  tricycle,  and  working  it  with 
his  legs,  can  propel  it  at  a  far  greater  rate  of  speed  and  can  keep 
up  the  exercise  for  a  much  longer  time  than  when  he  was  pulling 
it  —then  it  must  follow  that  if  a  horse  which  pulls  a  vehicle  of  any 
kind  could  get  inside  that  vehicle  and  work  it  with  his  legs,  he 


94  THE   TRICYCLE  OF   THE  FUTURE. 

could  propel  it  at  a  much  higher  rate  of  speed  than  when  he  was 
dragging  it  along  the  ground.  And  if  one  horse,  why  not  two,  or 
four  ?  Why  should  there  not  be  a  great  tally-ho  coach,  with  six 
horses  working  treadmills  on  the  lower  story,  while  crowds  of 
passengers  sat  above  enjoying  the  rapid  and  exhilarating  excur- 
sion ?  This  last  idea  came  into  Fred's  mind  as  a  picture  of  the 
Great  Tricycle  of  the  Future.  How  proud  and  happy  he  would 
be  to  build  and  own  a  machine  of  this  kind  !  He  would  sit  in  front 
with  his  hand  upon  the  steering  gear,  while  six  fine  horses  steadily 
trod  the  propelling  arrangement  behind  him,  eating  as  they  worked, 
from  mangers  under  their  noses ;  while  the  ladies  and  gentlemen 
who  used  to  crowd  the  old  "tally-hoes"  would  sit  comfortably  on 
the  second  story,  and  never  tire  of  telling  one  another  how  much 
better  this  was  than  the  comparatively  slow  trips  they  used  to  take 
in  the  ordinary  coaches  and  carriages. 

After  thinking  over  this  matter  for  about  a  week,  and  making 
a  good  many  plans  and  drawings,  Fred  determined  to  try  to  carry 
out  his  invention.  He  would  not  set  out  to  build  at  first  a  machine 
for  six  horses  and  two  or  three  coach-loads  of  passengers  ;  but  he 
would  attempt  to  make  something  much  more  modest,  although 
constructed  upon  the  great  principle  that  it  would  be  better  for  the 
horse  to  be  inside  the  vehicle  and  propel  both  it  and  himself  than 
to  stay  outside  and  pull  it.  If  the  comparatively  simple  contriv- 
ance which  he  proposed  to  make  should  work  satisfactorily,  then  it 
would  be  easy  enough  to  get  sufficient  capital  to  build  the  grand 
machine  (with  driving-wheels  twenty  feet  high  and  a  six-horse  team 
to  work  it)  which,  in  his  mind,  he  called  the  Tricycle  of  the  Future. 

When  he  laid  his  plans  and  his  schemes  before  his  father,  Mr. 
Humphreys  considered  them  very  carefully.  He  had  not  much 
faith  in  Fred's  grand  idea  of  the  two-storied  tricycle  with  six 
horses,  but  he  thought  that  something  on  a  smaller  scale  might 


THE  TRICYCLE  OF  THE  FUTURE.  95 

succeed.  He  agreed  with  his  son  that  experiments  with  dogs  or 
goats,  which  Fred  had  first  thought  of,  would  be  a  loss  of  time  and 
labor,  because  it  would  be  so  much  trouble  to  teach  these  animals 
to  act  properly  ;  whereas,  an  ordinary  horse  was  already  trained 
sufficiently  for  the  purpose.  Besides,  a  dog  or  goat  machine, 
in  Fred's  eyes,  appeared  like  a  mere  plaything,  and  would  not 
attract  the  attention  of  capitalists ;  but  one  worked  by  horses, 
however  rough  it  might  be,  would  show  at  once  what  could  actually 
be  done. 

Having  received  his  father's  consent  and  the  promise  of  a 
moderate  amount  of  money  for  his  expenses — for  Mr.  Humphreys 
was  a  rich  man,  and  very  generous  toward  his  son — Fred  went  to 
work  upon  the  machine,  which  was  intended  to  show  the  principle 
of  his  invention.  It  would  be  a  rough  affair,  but  if  it  worked 
properly  its  crudity  would  not  matter  ;  all  he  wished  was  to  show 
that  the  thing  could  be  done.  For  the  building  of  his  machine 
Fred  employed  a  man  who  was  both  a  carpenter  and  a  blacksmith  ; 
and  as  he  himself  was  very  handy  with  tools,  and  this  was  summer 
holiday  time,  he  worked  nearly  all  day  and  was  of  great  help  in 
finishing  the  thing. 

When  all  was  done  the  new  vehicle  was  indeed  a  curious  affair, 
and  attracted  a  great  deal  of  attention,  especially  from  Fred's  boy 
friends.  It  consisted  of  a  strong  framework,  or  floor,  at  the  back 
of  which  was  a  pair  of  enormous  wheels,  which  had  been  made  for 
a  truck  used  for  hauling  great  stones  and  slabs  of  marble.  These 
were  the  driving-wheels,  and  in  front  was  a  small  but  strong  wheel, 
which  was  turned  by  a  tiller,  like  the  helm  of  a  ship  ;  and  with  this 
the  vehicle  was  steered.  Between  the  driving-wheels  was  set  up  a 
Machine  known  in  some  parts  of  the  country  as  a  "  double  horse- 
power," and  which  is  used  by  many  farmers  to  give  motive  power 
to  various  kinds  of  agricultural  machines.  It  consists,  in  the  first 


96  THE  TRICYCLE   OF  THE  FUTURE. 

place,  of  an  inclined  floor  of  slats  which  moves  like  an  endless 
chain  ;  and  when  a  horse  walks  on  this  the  animal  remains  where 
he  is,  but  the  floor  moves,  and  continually  passing  from  under  him 
and  going  down  to  the  lower  part  of  the  machine,  comes  up  again 
in  front  of  him.  This  motion  of  the  floor  turns  various  cog-wheels 
under  it,  and  a  very  rapid  motion  is  communicated  from  them  to 
the  machine  which  is  to  be  worked.  The  horses  are  penned  in  by 
a  low  fence,  and  all  they  have  to  do  is  to  walk  or  tread  steadily  on, 
along  the  moving  floor.  Some  of  these  "  horse-powers"  are  for  one 
horse  and  some  for  two  ;  and  Fred  had  hired  a  double  one  from  a 
farmer  who  lived  not  far  away.  This  machine  was  connected  with 
the  driving-wheels  of  his  tricycle,  and,  when  horses  were  put  into 
it  and  started,  the  great  wheels  would  be  turned,  the  vehicle  would 
move  forward,  and  the  tricyclism  of  the  future  would  begin. 

There  were  no  accommodations  for  passengers ;  all  that  could 
come  afterward.  What  Fred  wanted  to  show  was  that  a  tricycle 
could  be  run  by  horse-power  as  well  as  by  man  or  boy-power,  the 
horses  being  carried  along  just  as  the  man  or  boy  is  carried.  In 
front  was  a  seat  for  the  steersman,  who  was  to  be  Fred  himself, 
and  in  the  extreme  rear  was  a  small  platform  for  his  assistant, 
whose  duty  it  would  be  to  attend  to  the  brakes  and  to  stop  the 
horse-power,  when  necessary,  so  that  the  floor  on  which  the 
horses  stood  should  become  immovable. 

A  great  many  opinions  were  expressed  in  regard  to  this  new 
vehicle.  Men  generally  laughed  at  it  ;  some  of  the  boys  thought 
it  would  work,  while  others  thought  it  would  not.  Among  the 
latter  was  one,  small  for  his  age  but  old  for  his  years,  who  was 
generally  known  as  "  Putty "  Morris — this  name  having  been 
given  to  him  by  his  companions  on  account  of  his  having  a  com- 
plexion the  color  of  which  was  not  unlike  that  of  ordinary  putty. 

This  youth  did  not  believe  in  the  new  tricycle  at  all.  Every- 
6 


THE  TRICYCLE   OF  THE  FUTURE.  97 

thing  was  too  heavy  and  lumbering,  he  said,  and  if  Fred  ever  did 
succeed  in  setting  it  going,  it  would  be  a  very  difficult  machine  to 
control,  and  there  was  certain  to  be  some  sort  of  a  smash-up. 

"  Now,  look  here,  Putty,"  said  Fred,  taking  him  to  one  side 
and  speaking  to  him  in  a  manner  which  he  intended  should  be  of 
service  to  the  youngster,  "  I've  been  thinking  of  asking  you  to  be 
my  assistant ;  but  I  wish  you  to  know  that  I  am  not  going  to  do  it 


now." 


"  All  right  !  "  said  Putty. 

"  I  don't  want  any  boy  with  me  who  is  a  pessimist,"  continued 
Fred. 

"  What's  that  ?"  asked  Putty. 

"  Why,  that's  a  fellow  who's  always  thinking  that  everything  is 
certain  to  go  wrong.  Now,  I  like  optimists,  who  believe  that 
things  are  sure  to  go  right ;  that  is,  as  long  as  there's  any  chance 
for  'em.  Everybody  who  ever  did  anything  great  in  this  world 
was  an  optimist ;  for,  of  course,  he  wouldn't  keep  hammering  at 
or  fighting  out  anything  if  he  didn't  think  it  would  succeed.  Don't 
you  see  that  ?  " 

"Of  course,"  said  Putty,  "if  a  fellow  really  thought  a  thing 
would  work,  and  wanted  it  to  work,  he'd  better  be  an  optimist ; 
but  if  he  thought  the  other  way  about  it,  why,  I  think  the  more 
he  pessimed  the  better." 

"Well,  Putty,"  said  Fred,  laughing,  "if  you  should  twist  my 
machinery  as  badly  as  you  twist  the  English  language,  you'd  spoil 
everything  for  me  very  soon.  So  we'll  do  without  you." 

A  boy  who  believed  irt  the  new  machine,  and  who  was  willing 
to  act  in  the  position  of  brakeman  and  general  assistant,  was  found 
in  the  person  of  Johnny  Hammond,  a  stout  fellow  of  sixteen,  who 
was  always  ready  for  anything  of  a  novel  or  lively  character. 

Nothing  now  remained  but  to  secure  the  working  power,  that 


98  THE  TRICYCLE  OF   THE  FUTURE. 

is  to  say,  the  horses.  Fred  had  hoped  that  his  father  would  let 
him  have  the  carriage-horses,  but  to  this  Mr.  Humphreys  ob- 
jected ;  he  did  not  wish  them  used  for  that  sort  of  work.  He 
had,  however,  a  steady  brown  mare  named  Jenny,  who  was  often 
employed  in  farm-work,  and  was  accustomed  to  a  "horse-power," 
and  he  told  Fred  that  he  was  welcome  to  use  this  animal  for  his 
experiment.  After  some  trouble,  for  horses  were  much  needed  by 
their  owners  at  that  time  of  the  year,  Fred  hired  from  a  farmer  an 
elderly  animal  known  as  Glaucus,  which  had  once  been,  according 
to  tradition,  a  very  fine  and  spirited  horse,  but  had  now  settled 
down  into  the  soberness  and  placidity  of  age.  Glaucus  was  tall 
and  bony  and  not  anxious  to  work,  but  he  had  weight  and  strength, 
and  these  are  important  points  in  a  beast  which  is  to  work  a 
horse-power.  These  two  horses  did  not  make  quite  so  good  a 
team  as  Fred  had  hoped  to  have,  but,  as  he  said,  they  did  very 
well  to  begin  with. 

It  was  determined  that  the  trial  trip  should  take  place 
early  in  the  forenoon,  before  there  were  many  carriages  and 
vehicles  on  the  road,  and  they  did  not  make  any  general  announce- 
ment of  the  matter,  as  both  Fred  and  his  father  thought  it  would 
be  better  to  have  as  few  spectators  as  possible  at  this  first  experi- 
ment of  the  running  of  the  machine.  If  it  succeeded,  then  every 
one  who  chose  could  see  it  work. 

In  spite  of  their  precautions,  however,  quite  a  crowd  of  boys 
assembled  to  see  the  horse-tricycle  start,  and  Mr.  Humphreys  and 
the  man  who  made  the  machine  were  also  there.  Heavy  planks 
with  cross-slats  nailed  on  them  were  laid  from  the  back  of  the 
vehicle  to  the  ground,  and  up  these  the  horses  were  led,  and  placed 
in  the  two  divisions  of  the  horse-power.  The  bars  were  put  up 
behind  them,  and  each  horse  was  tied  by  its  halter  to  the  front 
rails.  The  gate  of  the  yard  in  which  the  machine  had  been  built 


C/i 


THE    TRICYCLE  OF   THE  FUTURE.  101 

was  opened ;  Fred  climbed  up  in  front  and  took  the  tiller,  Johnny 
Hammond  mounted  the  rear  platform,  and  all  was  ready. 

"  Take  off  the  brakes,  and  start  the  horses  ! "  cried  Fred. 

Whereupon,  Johnny  released  the  big  wheels  from  the  press- 
ure of  the  brakes,  and  then  moved  the  lever  which  gave  play 
to  the  machinery  of  the  horse-power,  at  the  same  time  starting 
the  horses  into  a  walk.  Around  went  the  moving  floor  on  which 
the  horses  stood ;  around  and  around  went  the  two  driving-wheels, 
and  the  tricycle  was  off  ! 

At  first  it  moved  very  slowly,  as  was  to  have  been  expected, 
for  the  ground  in  the  yard  was  rough  ;  but  when  Fred  had  safely 
steered  through  the  gate,  and  the  tricycle  was  on  the  hard,  smooth 
road,  it  began  to  go  along  much  more  easily.  Mr.  Humphreys 
and  the  man  walked  by  the  side  of  it,  greatly  pleased  with  the 
success  of  the  experiment,  while  the  boys  surrounded  it  on  all 
sides,  some  cheering  and  some  chaffing ;  for,  although  it  moved 
along  very  well,  it  certainly  was  an  odd  affair  to  look  at.  They 
were  in  the  suburbs  of  the  town,  but  a  great  many  people  stopped 
to  gaze  at  the  horse  tricycle,  and  very  soon  Fred  determined  to 
let  every  one  see  that  his  new  vehicle  could  go  at  a  much  faster 
speed  than  a  walk.  The  machine  was  a  heavy  one,  and  rather 
awkward  and  clumsy  in  its  appearance,  but  the  wheels  turned 
easily  on  their  axles,  which  were  well  oiled,  while  the  machinery 
which  connected  the  horse-power  with  the  driving-wheels  was 
simple  and  worked  smoothly.  Therefore,  although  he  could  make 
no  such  speed  as  he  expected  to  give  to  the  great  Tricycle 
of  the  Future,  Fred  felt  sure  he  could  go  along  at  a  pretty  fair 
rate,  and  ordered  Johnny  Hammond  to  make  the  horses  trot. 
Johnny  therefore  touched  up  Jenny  and  Glaucus,  and,  after 
some  unwillingness,  they  broke  into  a  trot,  and  the  tricycle  began 
to  move  over  the  road  at  a  very  creditable  speed.  Mr.  Humphreys 


102  THE    TRICYCLE  OF  THE  FUTURE. 

and  the  mechanic  soon  ceased  to  follow  ;  and  although  the  boys  ran 
after  the  machine  for  some  distance,  they  dropped  off,  one  by  one. 
A  few  of  them  tried  to  climb  up  behind  and  enjoy  a  free  ride,  but 
this  the  sturdy  Johnny  Hammond  would  not  allow. 

Fred  steered  his  tricycle  into  a  wide  and  handsome  road  which 
led  to  a  much-frequented  hotel  standing  on  the  shore  of  the  lake, 
about  four  miles  from  town.  The  boy  was  flushed  and  happy. 
The  experiment  was  a  success,  and  he  was  going  along  as  fast  as  a 
horse  at  an  ordinary  trot.  If  he  could  do  so  much  with  a  home- 
made affair  like  this,  what  could  not  be  accomplished  with  a  vast 
machine  for  six  horses,  which  should  be  as  light  and  strong  and  as 
perfect  in  all  its  parts  as  the  finest  bicycle  or  tricycle  in  the  world  ? 
Johnny  Hammond,  too,  was  in  high  spirits,  and  he  continually 
shouted  to  Fred  his  approbation  of  the  working  of  his  "  gay  old 
machine."  The  only  individual  on  the  big  tricycle  that  seemed  to 
be  discontented  was  Glaucus.  He  had  never  been  in  the  habit  of 
going  so  fast  on  the  horse-power,  and  besides,  there  was  some- 
thing in  the  manner  of  his  progression  along  the  road  which 
seemed  to  disturb  his  mind.  He  tossed  up  his  head,  the  fire  of  his 
youth  came  into  his  eyes,  and  from  trotting  he  began  to  canter. 
Johnny's  shouts  did  not  moderate  his  pace,  and  Jenny,  feeling  that 
she  must  do  as  Glaucus  did,  also  broke  into  a  canter.  Fred 
shouted  to  put  on  the  brakes  and  stop  the  horses ;  but  this  Johnny 
found  to  be  no  easy  job.  The  horse-power  was  going  with 
such  force  and  rapidity,  that  the  regulating  apparatus  could  not 
work,  and  the  brakes  seemed  to  take  but  little  hold  upon  the 
driving-wheels.  Then  he  climbed  up  by  the  side  of  Glaucus,  and, 
seizing  him  by  the  halter,  tried  to  moderate  his  speed ;  but  he 
found  that  the  horse  was  thoroughly  frightened,  and  that  he  could 
do  nothing  with  him.  The  spirit  of  Jenny,  too,  was  now  aroused, 
and  she  seemed  to  be  trying  to  get  out  of  this  scrape  by  running 


THE   TRICYCLE  OF  THE  FUTURE.  103 

as  fast  as  she  could.  Fred  could  do  nothing  to  help,  for,  if  he  let 
go  of  the  tiller  for  a  moment,  the  steering-wheel  would  turn  round, 
and  the  great  tricycle  would  be  dashed  to  one  side  and  be  upset 
and  wrecked  in  an  instant. 

Fred  mentally  noted  the  fact  that  in  a  properly  constructed 
machine  of  this  sort  there  would  need  to  be  some  way  of  throw- 
ing the  driving-wheels  out  of  gear,  so  that  there  would  be  no 
connection  between  them  and  the  horse-power.  In  that  case 
the  vehicle  could  be  stopped,  no  matter  how  fast  the  horses  were 
going. 

Johnny  now  again  put  his  whole  weight  on  the  brakes  of  the 
driving-wheels,  but  he  found  this  was  of  no  use. 

The  fact  that  the  road  began  to  slope  gently  before  them,  so 
that  they  were  really  going  down  hill,  made  matters  all  the  worse, 
and  the  panic  which  seemed  to  possess  the  two  horses  now  ex- 
tended to  Johnny  Hammond,  who,  shouting  to  Fred  to  save  him- 
self while  he  could,  promptly  jumped  off  behind. 

Fred  was  pale  and  frightened,  but  he  did  not  jump  off.  He 
knew  that  if  he  did  the  tricycle  would  upset,  and  the  horses  would 
probably  be  killed  ;  and  besides,  he  knew  well  that  it  would  be  a 
very  dangerous  thing  to  jump  off  in  front  of  those  great  driving- 
wheels.  All  that  he  could  do  was  to  stay  at  his  post,  and  hope 
that  the  horses  would  soon  tire  themselves  out. 

The  two  animals  were  now  working  the  horse-power  at  a 
furious  rate  ;  the  few  people  in  the  road  stood  in  amazement,  or 
ran  after  the  machine  as  it  passed,  while  carriages  and  wagons 
gave  the  on-coming  tricycle,  with  its  rattling  and  its  banging,  and 
its  bounding  horses,  a  wide  berth. 

Fred  was  now  nearing  the  hotel  by  the  lake.  The  broad  road 
led  directly  to  the  water,  but  on  one  side  it  branched  off  into  a 
narrower  drive  which  ran  along  the  shore.  It  was  Fred's  intention 


io4  THE  TRICYCLE  OF  THE  FUTURE. 

to  turn  into  this  road,  because  his  only  safety  seemed  to  be  to  go 
as  far  as  he  could,  and  so  tire  out  the  horses.  But  he  was  dashing 
on  so  fast  that  he  made  a  miscalculation  ;  when  he  reached  the 
turning-point  he  did  not  move  his  tiller  quickly  enough,  and  so  lost 
his  chance  of  running  upon  the  lake  road.  Now,  before  him,  at  a 
very  short  distance,  lay  the  lake,  and  on  its  edge,  directly  in  front 
of  him,  was  a  row  of  sheds  for  the  accommodation  of  the  horses 
and  carriages  of  the  visitors  to  the  hotel.  Fred's  first  thought  was 
to  steer  directly  into  these  sheds,  and  so  stop  the  mad  career  of  his 
tricycle  ;  but  this  would  result  in  a  general  smash-up,  and,  as  he 
was  in  front  of  everything,  he  would  probably  be  killed.  He  did 
not  dare  to  jump  off,  as  he  would  have  to  jump  directly  in  front  of 
the  driving-wheels.  There  seemed  nothing  for  him  to  do  but 
to  steer  into  the  lake.  If  this  had  to  be  done,  the  deeper  the 
water  into  which  he  plunged  the  better ;  and  with  this  idea  in  his 
mind,  he  deftly  guided  his  machine  past  the  sheds,  and  toward  a 
pier  which  extended  a  short  distance  into  the  lake.  Thundering 
upon  the  plank  floor  came  the  great  tricycle,  and  in  the  next 
instant  it  had  gone  off  the  end  of  the  pier  and  down  into  the 
water. 

There  was  a  huge  splash  ;  there  were  shouts  from  the  hotel  and 
from  the  road ;  a  fountain  of  spray  shot  high  into  the  air,  and 
then  a  foaming,  whirling,  gurgling  pool  closed  over  the  spot  where 
the  great  dive  had  been  made.  Down  to  the  bottom  of  the  lake 
sank,  not  only  Fred's  Tricycle  of  the  Present,  but  his  ideal  Tri- 
cycle of  the  Future,  with  its  two  stories,  its  beautifully  working 
machinery,  its  crowds  of  passengers,  and  its  wonderful  achieve- 
ments. There  was  nothing  of  the  kind  now  for  Fred  but  a  wrecked 
and  sunken  Tricycle  of  the  Past. 

At  the  moment  the  steering-wheel  left  the  edge  of  the  pier 
Fred  made  a  wild  spring  into  the  water,  and  so  went  down  by  him- 


THE  TRICYCLE  OF  THE  FUTURE.  105 

self,  off  at  one  side  of  the  descending  machine.  As  he  sank, 
thoughts  and  ideas  passed  through  Fred's  mind  as  rapidly  as  if 
they  were  being  telegraphed  on  a  wire.  One  of  these  was  that  all 
he  had  been  working  for  so  hard  had  now  come  to  a  disastrous  end ; 
for  his  father  would  never  more  allow  him  to  have  anything  to  do 
with  such  an  unmanageable  machine  as  a  horse-tricycle.  But  the 
thought  that  overshadowed  everything  else  was  the  fate  of  those 
poor  horses  !  They  were  tied  to  the  horse-power  by  their 
halters,  and  would,  therefore,  be  kept  down  at  the  bottom  of  the 
lake,  and  be  drowned.  There  was  so  much  heavy  iron-work  about 
the  machinery,  it  would  certainly  hold  them  there  like  an  anchor. 
Fred  had  no  fears  in  regard  to  himself.  No  thought  of  sorrow- 
stricken  parents  or  weeping  friends  passed  through  his  mind  ;  he 
had  been  down  to  the  bottom  of  the  lake  before,  and  although  he 
was  encumbered  with  clothing  his  coat  was  thin,  his  shoes  were 
light,  and  he  knew  that  he  could  swim  to  shore. 

In  a  very  short  time  he  rose  to  the  top  of  the  water  and  began 
to  strike  out  for  the  pier.  Then,  some  distance  behind  him,  came 
up  the  head  of  a  horse,  and  Jenny,  with  a  little  snort,  went  swimming 
landward.  Now  appeared  another  horse's  head,  and  Glaucus,  with 
wildly  staring  eyes,  came  floundering  up,  and,  after  gazing  about 
in  much  amazement,  made  for  a  distant  point  along  the  shore,  as  if 
he  did  not  wish  to  land  at  a  place  where  he  had  come  to  such 
grief.  T^ast  of  all,  up  came  Putty  Morris,  his  hair  dripping  with 
watei,  and  his  mouth  spluttering  vigorously  as  he  slowly  swam 
shoreward. 

When  Fred  reached  the  pier  and  had  taken  one  of  the  dozen 
hands  which  were  extended  to  him  from  the  little  crowd  of  people 
who  had  hurried  there,  he  was  quickly  pulled  up,  and  whatever  he 
had  intended  to  say  was  cut  short  by  his  astonishment  at  seeing 
Jenny  just  coming  to  land.  Then,  turning  around,  his  amazement 


106  THE   TRICYCLE  OF  THE  FUTURE. 

was  increased  by  the  sight  of  Glaucus,  still  making  for  his  distant 
point.  But  when  he  beheld  Putty  Morris,  spluttering  and  paddling 
steadily  for  the  pier,  Fred's  hair,  wet  as  it  was,  felt  as  if  it  would 
like  to  stand  on  end. 

"  Do  you  live  down  there  ?  "  he  said  to  Putty,  a  moment  later, 
when  that  dripping  boy  was  hauled  upon  the  pier. 

"  Not  exactly,"  was  the  answer,  after  several  vigorous  shakes 
and  puffs;  "  and  if  I'd  known  that  you  were  going  to  take  me 
to  the  bottom  of  the  lake,  you  may  be  sure  I'd  never  have  jumped 
aboard  your  crazy  old  machine." 

"  How  did  you  come  to  do  it?"  asked  Fred.  "  I  didn't  know 
you  were  there." 

"  Well,"  said  Putty,  "  I  was  up  the  road  there,  and  saw  you 
coming  like  a  lot  of  wild  Indians.  I  saw  Johnny  Hammond  jump 
off,  and  guessed  something  was  the  matter.  Before  the  thing  was 
up  to  me  I  knew  that  the  horses  were  running  away,  or  trying  to, 
and  that  you  were  hanging  on  to  your  steering  gear  with  a  rather 
pessimy  look  on  your  face,  and  that  you  couldn't  let  go  to  do  any- 
thing with  the  horses.  So  I  ran  after  you,  and  climbed  up  behind, 
and  I  had  to  be  a  pretty  lively  hoptimist  to  do  it,  I  can  tell  you. 
All  I  could  try  to  do  was  to  get  you  rid  of  your  horses,  and  I 
thought  that  if  I  untied  their  halters  and  took  down  their  bars 
they'd  slide  out  behind,  and  then  you'd  stop.  I  didn't  say  anything 
to  you,  for  there  was  such  a  noise  I  didn't  suppose  you'd  hear  me  ; 
and  just  as  I  unfastened  the  second  halter  we  were  out  on  the  pier, 
and  before  I  had  time  to  jump,  down  we  all  went  together ! " 

"  Fred,"  said  Putty  Morris  to  his  friend  a  few  days  after  these 
events,  "  are  you  going  to  make  any  more  of  your  big  machines  ?" 

"  Well,  no,"  said  Fred,  "  not  at  present.  These  things  can't  be 
done  without  money,  and  father  is  rather  touchy  on  that  subject 


THE  TRICYCLE  OF  THE  FUTURE. 


107 


just  now.  He  has  had  to  pay  for  that  double  horse-power  and 
everything  else  is  a  dead  loss ;  and  besides  that,  old  Glaucus 
scraped  his  leg  in  the  scrimmage,  and  he'll  not  be  fit  to  be  used  for 
a  month.  I  am  going  to  begin  again  at  the  very  bottom  round, 
and  if  I  run  anything  else  of  the  kind  this  summer,  I  shall  get  a 
unicycle." 

"  A  unicycle  ! "  exclaimed  Putty  ;  "  what  is  that  ?  " 
"Why,  don't  you  know?"  said  Fred.     "  There  goes  a  fellow 
with  one  now." 


THE   ACCOMMODATING    CIRCUMSTANCE. 


IT  was  on  a  bright  afternoon,   many,   many  years  ago,  that  a 
young  baron  stood  on  the  stone  steps  that  led  down  from  the 
door  of  his  ancestral  home.     That  great  castle  was  closed  and 
untenanted,  and  the  baron  was  taking  leave  of  it  forever.      His 
father,  who  was  now  dead,  had  been  very  unfortunate,  and  had 
been  obliged  to  sell  his  castle  and  his  lands.     But  he  had  made 
it  a  condition  that  the  nobleman  who   bought  the  estate  should 
allow  the  young  baron  to  occupy  it  until  he  was  twenty-one  years 
of  age. 

This  period  had  now  arrived,  and  although  the  purchaser,  who 
did  not  need  the  castle,  had  told  the  baron  that  he  might  remain 
there  as  long  as  he  chose,  the  young  man  was  too  high-spirited  to 
depend  upon  the  charity  of  any  one,  and  he  determined  to  go  forth 
and  seek  a  fortune  for  himself.  His  purpose  was  to  go  to  the 
town  of  the  Prince  of  Zisk,  a  journey  of  a  few  days,  and  to  offer  to 
join  an  army  which  the  prince  intended  to  lead  against  a  formida- 
ble band  of  robbers  which  had  set  up  a  stronghold  in  his  domin- 
ions. If  he  should  distinguish  himself  in  this  army,  the  young 
baron  hoped  that  he  might  rise  to  an  honorable  position.  At  any 
rate,  he  would  earn  a  livelihood  for  himself,  and  be  dependent  upon 
no  one. 

But  it  was  a  very  sad  thing  for  him  to  leave  this  home  where  he 
was  born,  and  where  he  had  spent  most  of  his  life.  His  parents 


THE  ACCOMMODATING   CIRCUMSTANCE.  109 

were  dead,  he  had  no  relatives,  and  now  he  was  to  leave  the  house 
which  had  been  so  dear  to  him.  He  stood  with  one  foot  upon  the 
ground,  and  the  other  upon  the  bottom  step,  and  looked  up  to  the 
great  hall  door  which  he  had  shut  and  locked  behind  him,  as  if  he 
were  unwilling  to  make  the  movement  which  would  finally  separate 
him  from  the  old  place. 

As  he  stood  thus  he  heard  some  one  approaching,  and,  turning, 
he  saw  an  old  woman  and  a  young  girl  coming  toward  the  castle. 
Each  carried  a  small  bundle,  and,  besides  these,  the  young  girl  had 
a  little  leathern  bag,  which  was  fastened  securely  to  her  belt. 

"  Good  sir,"  said  the  old  woman,  "  can  you  tell  me  if  we  can  rest 
for  the  night  in  this  castle  ?  My  granddaughter  and  I  have  walked 
since  early  morning,  and  I  am  very  tired.  It  is  a  long  time  since 
we  have  passed  a  house,  and  I  fear  we  might  not  come  to  another 
one  to-day." 

The  baron  hesitated  for  a  moment.  It  was  true  that  there  was 
no  other  house  for  several  miles,  and  the  old  woman  looked  as  if 
she  was  not  able  to  walk  any  farther.  The  castle  was  shut  up  and 
deserted,  for  he  had  discharged  his  few  servants  that  morning,  and 
he  was  just  about  to  leave  it  himself ;  but,  for  all  that,  he  could 
not  find  it  in  his  heart  to  say  that  there  was  no  refuge  there  for 
these  two  weary  travellers.  His  family  had  always  been  generous 
and  hospitable,  and  although  there  was  very  little  that  he  could 
offer  now,  he  felt  that  he  must  do  what  he  could,  and  not  send 
away  an  old  woman  and  a  young  girl  to  perish  on  the  road  in  the 
cold  winter  night  which  was  approaching. 

"  The  castle  is  a  bare  and  empty  place,"  he  said,  "but  you  can 
rest  here  for  the  night."  And  so  saying  he  went  up  the  steps, 
opened  the  door,  and  invited  the  travellers  to  enter. 

Of  course  if  they  stayed  there  that  night,  he  must  do  so  also, 
for  he  could  not  leave  the  castle  in  the  care  of  strangers,  although 


no  THE  ACCOMMODATING   CIRCUMSTANCE. 

these  appeared  to  be  very  inoffensive  people.  And  thus  he  very 
unexpectedly  reentered  the  home  he  thought  he  had  left  forever. 

There  was  some  wood  by  the  fireplace  in  the  great  hall,  and 
the  baron  made  a  fire.  He  had  left  no  provisions  in  the  house, 
having  given  everything  of  the  kind  to  the  servants,  but  he  had 
packed  into  his  wallet  a  goodly  store  of  bread,  meat,  and  cheese, 
and  with  these  he  spread  a  meal  for  the  wayfarers.  When  they 
had  been  strengthened  by  the  food  and  warmed  by  the  fire,  the 
old  woman  told  her  story. 

"  You  must  not  think,  kind  sir,"  she  said,  "  that  we  are  poor 
outcasts  and  wanderers.  I  have  a  very  pleasant  little  home  of  my 
own,  where  my  granddaughter  and  myself  have  lived  very  happily 
ever  since  she  was  a  little  baby,  and  now,  as  you  see,  she  is  quite 
grown  up.  But  Litza — that  is  her  name — has  a  godmother  who  is 
a  very  peculiar  person,  whom  we  are  all  obliged  to  obey,  and  she 
came  to  us  yesterday  and  gave  Litza  a  little  iron  box,  which  is  in 
that  leathern  bag  she  carries,  and  charged  her  to  start  with  me  the 
next  morning,  and  take  it  to  its  destination." 

In  order  to  account  for  the  condition  of  his  house,  the  baron 
then  told  his  story.  Litza  and  her  grandmother  were  grieved  to 
hear  the  account  of  the  young  nobleman's  ill  fortune,  and  the  old 
woman  said  if  they  prevented  his  journey  they  might  yet  try  to 
go  on. 

"  Oh,  no,"  said  the  baron.  "  I  was  starting  too  late  anyway, 
for  it  had  taken  me  so  long  to  bid  good-by  to  my  old  home.  It 
will  be  just  as  well  for  me  to  go  to-morrow.  So  you  and  your 
granddaughter  shall  have  a  room  here  to-night,  and  all  will  be 
well." 

The  next  morning,  after  a  breakfast  which  quite  finished  the 
baron's  provisions,  the  three  set  out  together,  as  their  roads  lay 
in  the  same  direction.  About  noon  the  old  woman  became  very 


THE   ACCOMMODATING  CIRCUMSTANCE. 


tired  and  hungry.  There  was  no  house  in  sight,  and  the  road 
seemed  quite  deserted. 

"If  I  had  known  it  would  be  so  far,"  she  said  to  herself,  "  we 
would  not  have  come.  I  am  too  old  to  walk  for  two  days.  If  I 
could  only  remember  the  meaning  of  the  words,  I  would  surely 
try  them  now.  But  I  cannot  remember  —  I  cannot  remember." 

When  this  old  woman  was  a  little  girl,  she  had  lived  with 
Litza's  godmother,  who  was  the  daughter  of  a  magician,  and  was 
now  over  a  hundred  years  old.  From  this  person  she  had  learned 
five  magical  words,  which,  when  repeated,  would  each  bring  up  a 
different  kind  of  goblin  or  spirit.  In  her  youth  Litza's  grand- 
mother had  never  used  these  words,  for  she  was  a  timid  girl  ; 
and  now  for  years,  although  she  remembered  the  words,  she 
had  entirely  forgotten  what  sort  of  creature  each  one  would  call 
forth.  Some  of  these  beings  were  good,  and  some  she  knew  were 
very  bad,  and  so,  for  fear  of  repeating  the  wrong  word,  she  had 
never  used  any  one  of  them.  But  now  she  felt  that  if  ever  she 
needed  the  help  of  goblin  or  fairy,  she  needed  it  this  day. 

"  I  can  walk  no  farther,"  she  said,  "  and  that  young  man  can- 
not carry  me.  If  I  do  not  use  my  words,  I  must  perish  here.  I 
will  try  one  of  them,  come  what  may."  And  so,  with  fear  and 
trembling,  she  repeated  aloud  the  third  word. 

Instantly  there  appeared  before  her  a  strange  being.  He  was 
of  a  pale  pea-green  color,  with  great  black  eyes,  and  long  arms  and 
legs  which  seemed  continually  in  motion.  He  jumped  into  the 
air,  he  snapped  his  fingers  over  his  head,  and  suddenly  taking  from 
his  pockets  two  empty  bottles  and  an  earthen  jar,  he  began 
tossing  them  in  the  air,  catching  them  dexterously  as  they  fell. 

"Who  on  earth  are  you?"  said  the  old  woman,  much  aston- 
ished. 

"  I  am  the  Green  Goblin  of  the  Third  Word,"  replied  the  other, 


ii2  THE  ACCOMMODATING   CIRCUMSTANCE. 

still  tossing  up  his  jar  and  bottles  ;  "  but  I  am  generally  known  as 
the  Accommodating  Circumstance." 

"  I  don't  know  exactly  what  that  may  be/'  said  the  old  woman, 
"  but  I  wish  that  instead  of  a  juggler  with  empty  bottles  and 
jars,  you  were  a  pastry-cook  with  a  basket  full  of  something  to 
eat." 

Instantly  the  goblin  changed  into  a  pastry-cook  carrying  a 
large  basket  rilled  with  hot  meat  pies  and  buns.  The  old  woman 
jumped  to  her  feet  with  delight,  and  beckoned  to  the  others,  who 
had  just  turned  round  to  see  where  she  was. 

"  Come  here,"  she  cried.  "  Here  is  a  pastry-cook  who  has 
arrived  just  in  the  nick  of  time." 

The  party  now  made  a  good  meal,  for  which  the  old  woman 
would  not  allow  the  baron  to  pay  anything,  as  it  was  a  repast  to 
which  she  had  invited  him.  And  then  they  moved  on  again,  the 
pastry-cook  following.  But  although  the  grandmother  was  re- 
freshed by  the  food,  she  was  still  very  tired.  She  fell  back  a  little 
and  walked  by  the  side  of  the  pastry-cook. 

"  I  wish,"  she  said,  "that  you  were  a  man  with  a  chair  on  your 
back.  Then  you  might  carry  me." 

Instantly  the  pastry-cook  changed  into  a  stout  man  in  a  blue 
blouse,  with  a  wooden  armchair  strapped  to  his  back.  He  stooped 
down,  and  the  old  woman  got  into  the  chair.  He  then  walked  on, 
and  soon  overtook  the  baron  and  Litza. 

"  Ah  ! "  cried  the  old  woman,  "  see  what  good  fortune  has 
befallen  me  !  The  pastry-cook  has  gone,  and  this  man  with  his 
chair  has  just  arrived.  Now  I  can  travel  with  ease  and  comfort." 

"  What  wonderful  good  fortune  !  "  cried  Litza. 

"  Wonderful  good  fortune,  indeed ! "  exclaimed  the  baron, 
equally  pleased. 

The  four  now  pursued  their  way,  the  old  woman  comfortably 


THE  ACCOMMODATING  CIRCUMSTANCE.  113 

nodding  in  the  chair,  to  which  the  baron  had  secured  her  with  his 
belt.  In  about  an  hour  the  road  branched,  and  the  baron  asked 
the  chairman  which  way  led  to  the  town  of  Zisk.  But  the  man, 
who  was  a  dull,  heavy  fellow,  did  not  know,  and  the  baron  took 
the  road  to  the  right.  After  walking  two  or  three  miles  they 
came  to  a  wide  river,  at  the  edge  of  which  the  road  stopped.  On 
a  post  was  a  signboard  on  which  was  painted,  "  Blow  ye  horn  for 
ye  ferryman."  Below  this  hung  a  large  horn,  with  a  small  pair  of 
bellows  attached  to  the  mouthpiece. 

"  That  is  a  good  idea,'  said  the  baron.  "  One  ought  to  be 
able  to  blow  a  horn  very  well  with  a  pair  of  bellows."  And  so  say- 
ing, he  seized  the  handle  of  the  bellows  and  blew  a  blast  upon  the 
horn  that  made  Litza  and  her  grandmother  clap  their  hands  to 
their  ears.  "  I  think  that  will  bring  the  ferryman,"  said  the  baron, 
as  he  helped  the  old  woman  to  get  out  of  her  chair. 

In  a  few  minutes  they  heard  the  sound  of  oars,  and  a  boat 
made  its  appearance  from  behind  a  point  of  land  to  the  right.  To 
their  surprise  it  was  rowed  by  a  boy  about  fourteen  years  old. 
When  the  boat  touched  the  shore  they  all  got  in. 

"  I  am  afraid  you  cannot  row  so  heavy  a  load,"  said  the  baron 
to  the  boy  ;  "  but  perhaps  this  good  man  will  help  you." 

The  boy,  who  was  well  dressed  and  of  a  grave  demeanor, 
looked  sternly  at  the  baron.  "  Order  must  be  kept  in  the  boat," 
he  said.  "  Sit  down,  all  of  you,  and  I  will  attend  to  the  rowing." 
And  he  began  to  pull  slowly  but  steadily  from  the  shore.  But 
instead  of  rowing  directly  across  the  river,  he  rounded  the  high 
point  to  the  right,  and  then  headed  toward  an  island  in  the 
stream. 

"  Where  are  you  taking  us  ?  "  asked  the  baron. 

"  This  is  the  place  to  land,"  replied  the  boy,  gruffly.  And  in  a 
few  strokes  he  ran  the  boat  ashore  at  the  island. 


ii4  THE  ACCOMMODATING  CIRCUMSTANCE. 

A  large  house  stood  not  far  away  from  the  water,  and  the  baron 
thought  he  would  go  there  and  make  some  inquiries,  for  he  did  not 
like  the  manner  of  the  boy  in  the  boat.  He  accordingly  stepped 
ashore,  and,  followed  by  the  rest  of  his  party,  approached  the 
house.  When  they  reached  it  they  saw  over  the  door,  in  large 
black  letters,  the  words,  "  School  for  Men."  Two  boys,  well 
dressed  and  sedate,  came  out  to  meet  them,  and  ushered  them  in. 

"  What  is  this  place  ?  "  asked  the  baron,  looking  about  him. 

"  It  is  a  school,"  was  the  reply,  "  established  by  boys  for  the 
proper  instruction  and  education  of  men.  We  have  found  that 
there  are  no  human  beings  who  need  to  be  taught  so  much  as 
men  ;  and  it  is  to  supply  this  long-felt  want  that  we  have  set  up  our 
school.  By  diverting  the  ferry  from  its  original  course  we  have 
obtained  a  good  many  scholars  who  would  not  otherwise  have  en- 
tered." 

"  What  do  you  teach  men  ?  "  asked  the  baron. 

"  The  principal  thing  we  try  to  teach  them,"  said  the  other,  "  is 
the  proper  treatment  of  boys.  But  you  will  know  all  about  this 
in  good  time." 

"  What  I  wish  most  now  to  know,"  said  the  baron,  smiling,  "is 
whether  or  not  we  can  all  obtain  lodging  here  to-night.  It  is 
already  growing  dark." 

"  Did  these  two  ladies  come  with  you  ?"  asked  the  boy. 

"  Yes,"  answered  the  baron. 

"  It  was  very  good  of  them,"  said  the  boy.  "  Of  course  they 
can  stay  here  all  night.  We  always  try  to  accommodate  friends 
who  come  with  scholars." 

It  was  past  supper  time  at  the  school,  but  the  baron  and  his 
party  were  provided  with  a  good  meal,  and  Litza  and  her  grand- 
mother were  shown  to  a  guest  chamber  on  the  ground  floor.  One 
boy  then  took  charge  of  the  chair-carrier,  while  another  conducted 


THE  ACCOMMODATING   CIRCUMSTANCE.  115 

the  baron  to  a  small  chamber  up-stairs,  where  he  found  everything 
very  comfortable  and  convenient. 

"  You  can  sit  up  and  read  for  an  hour  or  two,"  said  the  boy. 
"  We  don't  put  our  scholars  all  into  one  great  room  like  a  barrack, 
and  make  them  put  out  their  lights  and  go  to  bed  just  at  the  time 
when  other  people  begin  to  enjoy  the  evening." 

When  the  baron  arose  the  next  morning  he  was  informed  that 
the  principal  wished  to  see  him,  and  he  was  taken  down-stairs  into 
a  room  where  there  was  a  very  solemn-looking  boy  sitting  in  an 
armchair  before  a  fire.  This  was  the  principal,  and  he  arose  and 
gravely  shook  hands  with  the  baron. 

"  I  am  glad  to  welcome  you  to  our  school,"  he  said,  "  and  I 
hope  you  will  do  honor  to  it." 

"  I  have  no  intention  of  remaining  here,"  said  the  baron. 

The  principal  regarded  him  with  a  look  of  great  severity. 
"  Silence,  sir!"  he  said.  "It  pains  me  to  think  of  the  sorrow 
which  would  fill  the  hearts  of  your  children  or  your  young  rela- 
tives if  they  could  hear  you  deliberately  declare  that  you  did  not 
wish  to  avail  yourself  of  the  extraordinary  educational  opportuni- 
ties which  are  offered  to  you  here." 

The  principal  then  rang  a  bell,  and  two  of  the  largest  scholars, 
who  acted  as  monitors,  entered  the  room.  "  Take  this  new  pupil," 
he  said  to  them,  "  to  the  schoolrooms,  and  have  him  entered  in  the 
lowest  class.  He  has  much  to  learn." 

The  baron  saw  that  it  would  be  useless  to  resist  these  two  tall 
fellows,  who  conducted  him  from  the  room,  and  he  peacefully  fol- 
lowed them  to  the  large  schoolroom,  where  he  was  put  in  a  class 
and  given  a  lesson  to  learn. 

The  subject  of  the  lesson  was  the  folly  of  supposing  that  boys 
ought  not  to  be  trusted  with  horses,  battleaxes,  and  all  the  arms 
used  in  war  and  hunting.  There  were  twelve  reasons  proving 


n6  THE  ACCOMMODATING   CIRCUMSTANCE. 

that  men  were  very  wrong  in  denying  these  privileges  to  boys,  and 
the  baron  was  obliged  to  learn  them  all  by  heart. 

At  the  other  end  of  the  room  he  saw  the  chair  carrier,  who 
was  hard  at  work  over  a  lesson  on  the  wickedness  of  whipping 
boys.  On  the  wall,  at  one  end  of  the  room,  was  the  legend  in 
large  letters,  "  The  Boy:  Know  Him,  and  You  are  Educated." 
At  the  other  end  were  the  words,  "  Respect  your  Youngers." 

In  the  afternoon  the  baron  studied  sixteen  rules  which  proved 
that  boys  ought  to  be  consulted  in  regard  to  the  schools  they  were 
sent  to,  the  number  of  their  holidays,  the  style  of  their  new  clothes, 
and  many  other  things  which  concerned  them  more  than  any  one 
else.  At  the  end  of  the  afternoon  session  the  principal  made  a 
short  address  to  the  school,  in  which  he  said  that  in  four  days 
it  would  be  Christmas,  at  which  time  the  scholars  would  have  a 
month's  holiday. 

"  We  believe,"  he  said,  "that  scholars  ought  to  have  at  least 
that  much  time  at  Christmas ;  and,  besides,  your  instructors  need 
relaxation.  But,"  said  he,  with  a  severe  look  at  the  baron,  ''dis- 
affected new-comers  must  not  suppose  that  they  will  be  allowed 
this  privilege.  Such  pupils  will  remain  here  during  the  holidays." 

After  this  speech  school  was  dismissed,  and  the  scholars  were 
allowed  three  hours  to  play. 

The  baron  was  disturbed  when  he  found  that  he  would  not  be 
permitted  to  leave.  He  had  heard  that  the  Prince  of  Zisk  intended 
to  start  on  his  expedition  immediately  after  Christmas  ;  and  if  he 
did  not  get  to  the  town  very  soon  he  could  not  join  his  army. 
So  he  determined  to  escape. 

Walking  about,  he  met  Litza  and  her  grandmother.  The  old 
woman  was  much  troubled.  She  had  been  told  that  she  could 
leave  whenever  she  chose,  but  she  felt  she  could  not  go  away 
without  the  chair-carrier,  and  he  was  detained  as  a  pupil.  She 


THE  ACCOMMODATING   CIRCUMSTANCE.  117 

would  not  explain  her  trouble  to  her  granddaughter,  for  she  did 
not  wish  her  to  know  anything  about  the  magical  nature  of  the 
assistance  she  had  received.  In  a  few  moments  the  chair-carrier 
also  made  his  appearance,  and  then  the  baron,  seeing  that  none  of 
the  boys  were  in  sight,  proposed  that  they  should  go  down  to  the 
beach  and  escape  in  a  ferry-boat. 

The  boat  was  found  there,  with  the  oars,  and  they  all  jumped 
in.  The  baron  and  the  chair-carrier  then  each  seized  an  oar  and 
pushed  off.  They  were  not  a  dozen  yards  from  the  shore  when 
several  of  the  boys,  accompanied  by  some  of  the  larger  pupils, 
came  running  down  to  the  beach.  The  baron  could  not  help  smil- 
ing when  he  saw  them,  and,  resting  on  his  oar,  he  made  a  little 
speech. 

"  My  young  friends,"  he  said,  "you  seem  to  have  forgotten, 
when  you  set  up  your  school,  that  men,  when  they  become  scholars, 
are  as  likely  to  play  truant  as  if  they  were  boys." 

To  these  remarks  the  boy  teachers  made  no  answer,  but  the  big 
scholars  on  shore  looked  at  each  other  and  grinned.  Then  they 
all  stooped  down  and  took  hold  of  a  long  chain  that  lay  coiled  in 
the  shallow  water.  They  began  to  pull,  and  the  baron  soon  per- 
ceived that  the  other  end  of  the  chain  was  attached  to  the  boat. 
He  and  the  chair-man  pulled  as  hard  as  they  could  at  the  oars,  but 
in  spite  of  their  efforts  they  were  steadily  drawn  to  shore.  Litza 
and  her  grandmother  were  then  sent  to  their  room,  while  the  baron 
and  the  chair-man  were  put  to  bed  without  their  suppers. 

The  next  day  the  old  grandmother  walked  about  by  herself, 
more  troubled  than  ever,  for  she  was  very  anxious  that  Litza 
should  fulfil  her  mission,  and  that  they  should  get  back  home 
before  Christmas.  And  yet  she  would  not  go  away  and  leave  her 
magical  companion.  Just  then  she  saw  the  chair-carrier  looking 
out  of  a  second-story  window,  with  a  blanket  wrapped  around  him. 


n8  THE  ACCOMMODATING   CIRCUMSTANCE. 

"  Come  down  here/'  she  said. 

"  I  can't,"  he  answered.  "  They  say  I  am  to  stay  in  bed  all 
day,  and  they  have  taken  away  my  clothes." 

"You  might  as  well  be  back  with  your  goblin  companions," 
said  the  old  woman,  "for  all  the  use  you  are  to  me.  I  wish  you 
were  somebody  who  could  set  things  straight  here." 

Instantly  there  stood  by  her  side  a  school  trustee.  He  was  a 
boy  of  grave  and  pompous  demeanor,  handsomely  dressed,  and 
carrying  a  large  gold-headed  cane. 

"  My  good  woman,"  he  said,  in  a  stately  voice,  "  is  there  any- 
thing I  can  do  to  serve  you  ?  " 

"Yes,  sir,"  she  replied.  "My  granddaughter  and  I,"  pointing 
to  Litza,  who  just  then  came  up,  "  wish  to  leave  this  place  as  soon 
as  possible,  and  to  pursue  our  journey." 

"  Of  course  you  may  do  so,"  said  he.  "  This  is  not  a  school 
for  women." 

"  But,  grandma,"  said  Litza,  "it  would  be  a  shame  to  go  away 
without  the  poor  baron,  who  is  as  anxious  to  get  on  as  we  are." 

"There  is  a  gentleman  here,  sir,"  said  the  old  woman,  "who 
does  not  wish  to  stay." 

"  Did  you  bring  him  ?"  asked  the  trustee. 

"  Yes,  sir ;  he  came  with  us." 

"  And  you  wish  to  take  him  away  again  ?  "  said  he. 

"  Yes,  sir  ;  we  do,"  said  Litza. 

"Very  well,  then,"  said  the  trustee,  severely,  "he  shall  be  dis- 
missed. We  will  have  no  pupils  here  whose  children  or  guard- 
ians desire  their  removal.  I  will  give  orders  in  regard  to  the 
matter." 

In  a  few  moments  the  baron's  clothes  were  brought  to  him,  and 
he  was  told  that  he  might  get  out  of  bed  and  leave  the  establish- 
ment. When  he  came  down  and  joined  Litza  and  her  grand- 


THE  ACCOMMODATING  CIRCUMSTANCE.  119 

mother,  he  looked  about  him  and  said:  "  Where  is  the  chair-car- 
rier ?  I  cannot  consent  to  go  away  and  leave  him  here." 

"  Do  not  trouble  yourself  about  that  man,"  said  the  grand- 
mother ;  "  he  has  already  taken  himself  away." 

The  party,  accompanied  by  the  trustee,  proceeded  to  the  boat, 
where  the  boy  ferryman  was  waiting  for  them.  To  the  surprise  of 
the  baron  the  trustee  got  in  with  them,  and  they  were  all  rowed  to 
the  other  side  of  the  river,  where  they  found  the  road  that  led  to 
Zisk.  The  school  trustee  walked  with  them,  delivering  his  opin- 
ions in  regard  to  the  education  of  men.  The  baron  grew  very 
tired  of  hearing  this  talk. 

"  I  am  much  obliged  to  this  person,"  he  thought,  "  for  having 
enabled  me  to  get  away  from  that  queer  school ;  but  he  certainly 
is  a  dreadful  bore.  I  wish  he  were  going  on  some  other  road." 

Litza  and  her  grandmother  agreed  with  the  baron,  and  the  old 
woman  would  gladly  have  changed  the  trustee  into  a  chair-carrier 
again,  but  she  had  no  opportunity  of  doing  so,  for  the  pompous 
little  fellow  never  fell  back  behind  the  rest  of  the  party,  where  he 
could  be  transformed  unobserved.  So  they  all  walked  on  together 
until  they  reached  the  middle  of  a  great  plain,  when  suddenly  a 
large  body  of  horsemen  appeared  from  behind  a  clump  of  trees  at 
no  great  distance. 

"It  is  a  band  of  robbers  !  "  said  the  baron,  stopping,  and  draw- 
ing his  sword.  "  I  know  their  flag.  And  they  are  coming  directly 
toward  us." 

The  grandmother  and  Litza  were  terribly  frightened,  and  the 
baron  turned  very  pale,  for  what  could  his  one  sword  do  against  all 
those  savage  horsemen  ?  As  for  the  school  trustee,  he  was  glad 
to  fall  back  now,  and  he  crouched  behind  the  baron,  nearly  scared 
out  of  his  wits.  He  even  pushed  the  old  woman  aside,  so  as  to 
better  conceal  himself. 


'..-L. :.v ¥011  wretched?  coward  1 "  ,;sHet exclaimed.     ic  I  wish  you 
somebody  able  to  defend  us  agamst  these  robbers."  -  ; 

I -IftStaittly;there  was  a;great  clank:of  steel,  and  in  the  place  of 
the  trustee  there  sto.od  an  immense  man,  fully  eight  feet  .high, 
clothed  in  mail,  and  armed  to  the  teeth.  At  his  left  side  he  lear- 
ned a  great  sword,  and  on  the  other  a  heavy  mace.  In  his  hand 
he  held  a  strong  bow,  higher  than  himself,  his  belt  was  filled  with 
daggers  and  arrows,  and  at  his  back  was  an  immense  shield,  • 

"  Hold  this  in  front  of  your  party,"  he  said  to  the  baron,  set- 
ting the  shield  down  before  him,  "and  I  will  attend  to  these 
rascals." 

Quickly  fitting  a  long  arrow  to  his  bow,  he  sent  it  directly 
through  the  foremost  horseman,  and  killed  a  man  behind  him. 
Arrow  after  arrow  flew  through  the  air,  until  half  the  robbers  lay 
dead  on  the  field.  The  rest  turned  to  fly,  but  the  armed  giant 
sprang  in  among  them,  his  sword  in  one  hand  and  his  mace  in  the 
other,  and  in  less  than  five  minutes  he  had  slain  every  one  of  them. 

"  Now,  then,"  said  he,  returning,  and  taking  up  his  bow  and 
shield,  "  I  think  we  may  proceed  without  further  fear." 

The  baron  and  Litza  were  no  less  delighted  at  their  deliver- 
ance than  surprised  at  the  appearance  of  this  defender,  and  the  old 
woman  was  obliged  to  explain  the  whole  matter  to  them.  "  I  did 
not  want  you  to  know  anything  about  it,"  she  said  to  Litza,  "for 
a  young  girl's  head  should  not  be  filled  with  notions  of  magic  ;  but 
the  case  was  very  urgent,  and  I  could  not  hesitate." 

"I  am  very  glad  you  did  not  hesitate,"  said  the  baron,  "for  in 
a  few  minutes  we  should  all  have  been  killed.  There  was  certainly 
never  anything  so  useful  as  your  Accommodating  Circumstance." 

The  armed  giant  was  a  quiet  and  obliging  fellow,  and  he  offered 
to  carry  the  old  woman  on  his  shoulder,  which  she  found  a  very 
comfortable  seat. 


THE  ACCOMMODATING   CIRCUMSTANCE.  121 

Toward  evening  they  arrived  in  sight  of  the  town  of  Zisk,  and 
the  baron  said  to  the  grandmother,  "  I  am  very  much  afraid  you 
will  lose  your  giant,  for  when  the  prince  sees  such  a  splendid  sol- 
dier he  will  certainly  enlist  him  into  his  army." 

"Oh,  dear!"  cried  the  old  woman,  slipping  down  from  the 
giant's  shoulder.  "  I  wish  this  great  fellow  was  somebody  who 
could  not  possibly  be  of  any  use  to  the  prince  as  a  soldier." 

Instantly  there  toddled  toward  her  a  little  baby  about  a  year 
old.  She  had  a  white  cap  on  her  funny  little  head,  and  was  very 
round  and  plump.  She  had  scarcely  taken  three  steps  when  she 
stumbled  and  sat  down  very  suddenly,  and  then  she  began  to  try 
to  pull  off  one  of  her  little  shoes.  They  all  burst  out  laughing  at 
this  queer  little  creature,  and  Litza  rushed  toward  the  baby  and 
snatched  her  up  in  her  arms. 

"You  dear  little  thing  !"  she  said,  "  the  prince  will  never  take 
you  for  a  soldier." 

"  No,"  said  the  baron,  laughing,  "  and  she  can  never  grow  up 
into  one." 

It  was  too  late  for  the  baron  to  see  the  Prince  of  Zisk  that  day, 
and  the  party  stopped  for  the  night  at  a  little  inn  in  the  town. 
The  next  morning,  as  the  baron  was  about  to  go  to  the  palace, 
he  asked  Litza  what  was  her  business  in  Zisk,  and  if  he  could 
help  her. 

"  All  my  godmother  told  me  to  do,"  said  the  young  girl,  "was 
to  give  this  box  to  the  noblest  man  in  Zisk,  and  of  course  he  is  the 
prince." 

"  Yes,"  said  the  baron  ;  "  and  as  I  am  on  my  way  to  the  palace, 
I  may  help  you  to  see  him." 

"  Go  you  with  the  baron,"  said  the  grandmother  to  Litza,  "  and 
I  will  stay  here  and  take  care  of  this  baby.  And  as  soon  as  you 
come  back  I  will  change  her  into  a  long-legged  man  with  two  chairs 


122  THE  ACCOMMODATING  CIRCUMSTANCE. 


on  his  back,  and  we  will  get  home  to  my  cottage  as  fast  as  we 


can." 


When  the  baron  and  the  young  girl  reached  the  palace  they 
found  the  prince  in  his  audience-chamber,  surrounded  by  officers 
and  courtiers.  Litza  stood  by  the  door,  while  the  baron  approached 
the  prince  and  respectfully  told  him  why  he  had  come. 

"  You  are  the  very  man  we  want  !"  cried  the  prince.  "  I  have 
conceived  a  most  admirable  plan  of  conquering  my  robber  foes, 
and  you  shall  carry  it  out.  The  day  after  to-morrow  is  Christmas, 
and  these  highwaymen  always  keep  this  festival  as  if  they  were 
decent  people  and  good  Christians.  They  gather  together  all  their 
wives  and  children,  and  their  old  parents,  and  they  sing  carols  and 
make  merry  all  day  long.  At  this  time  they  never  think  of  attack- 
ing anybody  or  of  being  attacked,  and  if  we  fall  upon  them  then 
we  can  easily  destroy  them  all,  young  and  old,  and  thus  be  rid  of 
the  wretches  forever.  I  have  a  strong  body  of  soldiers  ready  to 
send,  but  they  must  be  led  by  a  man  of  rank,  and  all  my  officers  of 
high  degree  wish  to  remain  here  with  their  families  to  celebrate 
Christmas.  Now  you  are  a  stranger,  and  have  nothing  to  keep 
you  here,  and  you  are  the  very  man  to  lead  my  soldiers.  Destroy 
that  colony  of  robbers,  and  you  shall  have  a  good  share  of  the 
booty  that  you  find  there." 

"  Oh,  prince  !"  exclaimed  the  baron,  "would  you  have  me,  on 
holy  Christmas  Day,  when  these  families  are  assembled  together  to 
celebrate  the  blessed  festival,  rush  upon  them  with  an  armed  band, 
and  slay  them,  old  and  young,  women  and  children,  at  the  very 
foot  of  the  Christmas  tree  ?  No  man  needs  occupation  more  than 
I,  but  this  is  a  thing  I  cannot  do." 

"  Impudent  upstart ! "  cried  the  prince,  in  a  rage  ;  "if  you  can- 
not do  this,  there  is  nothing  for  you  here.  Begone  ! " 

Without  an  answer  the  baron  turned  and  left  the  hall.     Litza, 


THE  ACCOMMODATING   CIRCUMSTANCE.  123 

who  still  stood  by  the  door,  did  not  now  approach  the  prince,  but 
ran  after  the  baron,  who  was  walking  rapidly  away.  "  This  is 
yours,"  she  said,  taking  the  iron  box  from  her  little  bag.  "  You 
are  the  noblest  man." 

The  baron,  surprised,  objected  to  receiving  the  box,  but  Litza 
was  firm.  "  I  was  told,"  she  said,  "  to  give  it  to  the  noblest  man 
in  Zisk,  and  I  have  done  so." 

When  the  baron  found  that  he  must  keep  the  box  he  asked 
Litza  what  was  in  it. 

"  I  do  not  know,"  said  Litza;  "but  the  key  is  fastened  to  the 
handle." 

They  sat  down  under  a  tree,  in  a  quiet  corner  of  the  palace 
grounds,  and  opened  the  box.  Something  inside  was  covered  with 
a  piece  of  velvet,  on  top  of  which  lay  a  golden  locket.  The 
baron  opened  it,  and  beheld  a  portrait  of  the  beautiful  Litza. 
"  Why,  you  have  given  me  yourself  !  "  he  cried,  delighted. 

"  So  it  appears,"  said  Litza,  looking  down  upon  the  ground. 

"  And  will  you  marry  me  ?  "  he  cried. 

"  If  you  wish  it,"  said  Litza.     So  that  matter  was  settled. 

The  two  then  went  to  the  inn,  and  told  the  grandmother  what 
had  occurred.  She  looked  quite  pleased  when  she  heard  this  story, 
and  then  she  asked  what  else  was  in  the  box. 

"  I  found  so  much,"  said  the  baron,  "  that  I  did  not  think  of 
looking  for  anything  more."  He  then  opened  the  box,  and,  lift- 
ing the  piece  of  velvet,  found  it  filled  with  sparkling  diamonds. 

"  That  is  Litza's  dowry,"  cried  the  old  woman.  "  It  was  a  wise 
thing  in  her  godmother  to  send  her  out  to  look  for  a  noble  hus- 
band, for  one  would  never  have  come  to  my  little  cottage  to  look 
for  her.  But  it  seems  to  me  that  the  box  might  as  well  have  been 
given  to  you  at  your  castle.  It  would  have  saved  us  a  weary 
journey." 


I24  THE  ACCOMMODATING   CIRCUMSTANCE. 

"  But  if  we  had  not  taken  that  journey,"  said  Litza,  "  we  should 
not  have  become  so  well  acquainted,  and  I  would  not  have  known 
he  was  the  noblest  man." 

"  It  is  all  right,"  said  the  grandmother,  lt  and  your  dowry  will 
enable  the  baron  to  buy  his  castle  again,  and  to  live  there  as  his 
ancestors  did  before  him." 

The  grandmother  desired  to  leave  Zisk  immediately,  but  the 
baron  objected.  "  There  is  something  I  wish  to  do  to-day,"  he 
said  ;  "  and  if  we  start  early  to-morrow  morning  on  horseback  we 
can  reach  my  castle  before  dark." 

The  old  woman  agreed  to  this,  and  the  baron  continued  :  "  I 
would  like  you  to  lend  me  the  baby  for  the  rest  of  the  day ;  and 
when  the  sun-dial  in  the  courtyard  shall  mark  three  hours  after 
noon  you  will  please  open  this  piece  of  paper  and  wish  what  I  have 
written  upon  it." 

The  grandmother  took  the  folded  piece  of  paper,  and  let  him 
have  the  baby.  She  and  Litza  wondered  much  what  he  was  going 
to  do,  but  they  asked  no  questions. 

The  baron  had  learned  that  it  was  a  three  hours'  walk  from  the 
town  to  the  stronghold  of  the  robbers,  and  just  at  noon  he  set  out 
for  that  place,  carrying  the  baby  in  his  arms.  Before  he  had  gone 
a  mile  he  wished  that  the  baby  had  been  changed  into  somebody 
who  could  walk,  but  it  was  too  late  now. 

At  three  hours  after  noon  the  grandmother  was  about  to  open 
the  paper,  when  Litza  exclaimed,  "  Before  you  wish  anything,  dear 
grandmother,  let  me  read  what  the  baron  has  written." 

Litza  then  took  the  paper  and  read  it.  "  It  is  just  what  I  ex- 
pected," she  cried.  "  He  has  gone  out  to  fight  the  robbers,  and  he 
wants  you  to  change  the  baby  into  that  great  armed  giant  to  help 
him.  But  don't  you  do  it,  for  the  baron  will  certainly  be  killed, 
there  are  so  many  robbers  in  that  place.  Please  change  the  baby 
9 


"YOU    ARE    THE    NOBLEST    MAN,"    SAID    LITZA. 


THE  ACCOMMODATING  CIRCUMSTANCE.  127 

into  a  very  strong,  fleet  man  who  knows  the  country,  and  who  will 
take  the  baron  in  his  arms  and  bring  him  back  here  just  as  fast  as 
he  can." 

"  I  will  wish  that,"  said  the  grandmother.     And  she  did  so. 

The  baron  had  just  arrived  in  sight  of  the  robbers'  stronghold, 
when  he  was  very  much  surprised  to  find  that,  instead  of  carrying 
a  baby  in  his  arms,  he  himself  was  in  the  grasp  of  a  tall,  powerful 
man,  who  was  carrying  him  at  the  top  of  his  speed  toward  the 
town.  The  baron  kicked  and  struggled  much  worse  than  the  baby 
had,  but  the  man  paid  no  attention  to  his  violent  remonstrances, 
and  soon  set  him  down  in  the  courtyard  of  the  inn. 

"  This  is  your  doing,"  he  said  to  Litza.  "  I  wished  to  show  the 
prince  that  it  was  not  fear  that  kept  me  from  fighting  the  robbers, 
and  you  have  prevented  me." 

"  You  have  proved  that  you  are  brave,"  said  Litza,  "and  that 
is  enough.  The  prince  is  a  bad  man ;  let  him  fight  his  own 
robbers." 

The  baron  could  not  be  angry  at  this  proof  of  Litza's  prudent 
affection.  And  the  next  morning  the  party  left  the  town  on  three 
horses,  which  the  baron  bought  with  one  of  his  diamonds.  The 
tall,  fleet  man  who  knew  the  country  acted  as  guide,  and  led  them 
by  a  by-road  which  did  not  pass  near  the  School  for  Men.  They 
arrived  at  the  castle  early  on  Christmas  Eve,  and  the  baron  sent  for 
his  servants,  his  friends,  and  a  priest,  and  he  and  Litza  were  mar- 
ried amid  great  rejoicing,  for  everybody  was  glad  to  see  him  come 
to  his  own  again. 

The  next  day  Litza  and  the  baron  asked  the  grandmother  to 
show  them  her  magical  servant  in  his  original  form.  The  old 
woman  called  the  tall,  fleet  guide,  and  transformed  him  into  the 
Green  Goblin  of  the  Third  Word.  This  strange  creature  wildly 
danced  and  skipped  before  them,  and,  taking  a  watermelon  and 


128  TtjE  ACCOMMODATING  CIRCUMSTANCE, 

three  pumpkins  from  his  pocket,  he  tossed  them  up,  keeping  two 
of  them  .always  in  the  air. 

The  baron  and  his  wife  were  very  much  amused  by  the  antics 
of  the  goblin,  and  Litza  exclaimed  :  "Oh,  grandmother,  if  I  were 
yoq  I  would  keep  him  this  way  always.  He  would  be  wonderfully 
amusing,  and  I  am  sure  he  could  carry  you  about,  and  scare  away 
robbers,  and  do  ever  so  many  things." 

"  A  merry  green  goblin  might  suit  you/'  said  the  old  woman, 
shaking  her  head,  "  but  it  would  not  suit  me.  I  want  to  return  to 
my  own  little  home,  and  what  I  now  wish  is  a  suitable  companion." 

Instantly  the  goblin  changed  into  a  healthy  middle-aged  woman 
of  agreeable  manners,  and  willing  to  make  herself  useful.  With 
this  "  suitable  companion  "  the  old  grandmother  returned,  after  the 
holidays,  to  her  much-loved  cottage,  where  she  was  often  visited 
by  the  young  baron  and  his  wife  ;  but,  although  they  sometimes 
asked  it,  she  never  let  them  see  the  green  goblin  again. 

"  When  a  circumstance  is  just  as  accommodating  as  you  want  it 
to  be,"  she  said,  "  the  less  you  meddle  with  it  the  better." 


THE   GREAT  SHOW   IN   KOBOL-LAND. 


IN  by-gone  days,  and  in  a  distant  land,  there  was  a  certain  small 
kingdom  called  Tanobar,  which  was  governed  in  a  manner  not 
altogether  satisfactory  to  the  people.  About  ten  years  before 
the  beginning  of  this  story  there  had  sat  upon  the  throne  two  kings 
who,  being  twin  brothers,  had  an  equal  right  to  rule.  Being  men 
of  good  disposition,  and  of  much  the  same  mind,  they  had  for 
many  years  governed  the  country  to  the  satisfaction  of  everybody. 

When  these  twin  kings  died,  within  a  few  days  of  each  other, 
one  left  a  son  about  twelve  years  old  and  the  other  a  daughter  of 
the  same  age.  The  queen  mothers,  both  estimable  women,  reigned 
as  regents  until  their  children  came  of  age.  And  now,  for  more 
than  a  year,  the  two  young  people  had  sat  upon  the  throne,  and 
worn  the  crowns  of  the  twin  kings,  their  fathers. 

Chamian  was  the  name  of  the  young  king,  and  Millice,  that  of 
his  cousin,  the  queen.  It  was  the  hope  of  all  who  desired  the  good 
of  the  country  that  these  two  should  marry,  and  thus  form  a  united 
government,  but  it  did  not  seem  probable  that  this  would  ever  hap- 
pen. The  cousins  were  of  very  different  dispositions,  and  although 
they  had  not  yet  quarrelled,  or  violently  opposed  each  other,  there 
was  no  sympathy  between  them,  and  one  seldom  approved  of  what 
the  other  did. 

Chamian  was  a  bold,  active,  and  athletic  fellow,  and  delighted 
in  field  sports  and  all  sorts  of  out-door  life,  while  Millice  was  of 


THE  GREAT  SHOW  IN  KOBOL-LAND. 


an  intellectual  turn  of  mind,  and  devoted  to  the  study  of  art  and 
science.     During  the  time  that  these  two  had  governed,  no  ques- 


THE    TWIN    KINGS. 


tions  of  public  importance  had  arisen,  but  it  was  feared  that  if  it 
should  be  necessary  for  the  government  to  take  any  decided  action 


THE   GREAT  SHOW  IN  KOBOL-LAND.  131 

it  would  be  difficult  to  make  the  cousins  agree  upon  a  course. 
If  the  two  should  marry  there  would  probably  be  no  further  cause 
for  anxiety,  for  the  queen  would  naturally  defer  to  the  king,  and 
all  would  go  on  smoothly ;  but,  as  has  been  said  before,  for  this 
happy  issue  there  was  no  reason  to  hope. 

But  there  was  one  man  in  Tanobar  who  did  not  desire  the 
cousins  to  marry  ;  who  did  not  desire  the  government  to  go  on 
smoothly,  and  whose  earnest  purpose  was  to  effect  a  general  revo- 
lution in  public  affairs,  in  order  that  he  might  reconstruct  them  to 
suit  his  own  plans.  This  man  was  named  Gromline,  and  he  was 
the  Minister  of  Agriculture.  He  was  a  man  of  great  ability  and 
very  much  given  to  stirring  up  political  dissensions,  and  the  princi- 
pal reason  for  making  him  Minister  of  Agriculture  had  been  that 
it  was  thought  that  in  that  department  he  could  do  no  mischief. 
But  since  he  had  occupied  this  position  he  had  come  very  near 
inflicting  upon  the  country  what  most  sensible  people  thought 
would  be  a  terrible  injury. 

He  had  discovered  a  plant,  which,  after  years  of  experiment 
and  culture,  he  had  now  brought  to  what  he  considered  perfection. 
This  plant  he  named  the  Cosmic  Bean,  for  the  reason  that  it  was 
capable  of  taking  the  place  of  all  other  food,  and  becoming  the 
universal  nutriment  of  mankind.  Cooked  in  certain  ways,  it 
tasted  like  meats,  and  afforded  the  same  nourishment.  Prepared 
in  other  methods,  it  resembled  different  kinds  of  vegetables,  bread, 
and  even  cheese  and  butter.  It  could  be  dried  in  various  ways, 
and  so  used  to  make  drinks  resembling  tea,  coffee,  and  chocolate, 
and  its  juices  when  fermented  produced  several  sorts  of  wines  and 
spirits.  In  fact,  there  was  no  article  of  common  food  for  which  an 
excellent  substitute  could  not  be  produced  from  the  Cosmic  Bean. 

A  most  important  property  of  this  plant  was  that  it  would 
grow  in  any  soil,  with  little  or  no  cultivation,  and  that  it  was  an 


I32  THE  GREAT  SHOW  IN  KOBOL-LAND. 

evergreen,  and  produced  its  fruits  in  great  abundance  all  the -year 
round.  Gromline's  experiments  and  exhibitions  had  satisfied  the 
government  that  his  bean  would  do  everything  that  he  claimed 
for  it,  and  that  it  might,  indeed,  take  the  place  of  all  other  food. 

But  from  the  wise  people  of  the  country  Gromline's  efforts  to 
introduce  his  bean  had  met  with  the  most  decided  opposition..  It 
had  not  been  brought  to  perfection  during  the  lives  of  the  twin 
kings,  but  they  had  both  declared  that  should  Gromline  ever  suc- 
ceed in  his  efforts,  the  plant  ought  to  be  immediately  eradicated 
from  the  face  of  the  earth.  Their  wives,  the  queens  regent,  were 
of  the  same  opinion,  and  when  the  Cosmic  Bean  was  ready  for 
cultivation  and  introduction,  had  forbidden  Gromline  or  anybody 
else  to  grow  it,  and  had  ordered  the  destruction  of  all  plants, 
wherever  found.  The  young  king  and  queen  had  done  nothing, 
so  far,  in  regard  to  the  matter.  Neither  of  them  took  any  interest 
in  beans  or  in  Gromline. 

The  reasons  urged  against  the  production  of  the  new  food  were 
very  good  ones.  If  this  were  a  plant  capable  of  giving  people, 
old  and  young,  all  the  different  sorts  of  nutriment  they  needed  or 
cared  for,  and  which  would  grow  everywhere  without  trouble  to 
anybody  and  yield  fruit  in  abundance  at  all  seasons,  it  was  quite 
certain  that  a  great  part  of  the  people  of  the  country  would  be 
content  to  let  nature  provide  for  them  and  to  cease  to  provide  for 
themselves.  If  all  persons  could  live  comfortably  who  chose  to 
do  a  little  work  for  themselves,  nobody  would  do  any  work  for 
anybody  else.  This  state  of  affairs,  as  the  officers  of  the  govern- 
ment plainly  saw,  would  soon  turn  everything  upside  down  ;  the 
upper  classes  would  soon  cease  to  be  upper  if  the  lower  classes 
ceased  to  work  for  them,  and  so  this  mischievous  Cosmic  Bean 
must  be  suppressed  and,  if  possible,  annihilated. 

Gromline  knew  as  well  as  any  one  what  might  happen  if  he 


THE  'GREAT  SHOW  IN  KOBQL-LAtfD.  133 

succeeded  in  making  it  possible  for  every  man  to  be.  as  lazy  as:  he 
pleased,  but  he  still  persevered  in  his  purpose.  If  he  could  intro- 
duce his  universal  food  the  greater  part  of  the  people  in  the  coun- 
try would  look  upon  him  as  a  benefactor,  accept  him  as  a  leader, 
and  perhaps  make  him  their  king.  If  he  should  succeed  in  put- 
ting himself  on  the  throne  he  knew  how  to  treat  people  who  would 
not  work  for  him.  He  had  discovered  a  blight  for  the  Cosmic 
Bean  ! 

Since  the  accession  of  the  new  king  and  queen  Gromline  had 
made  no  progress  in  his  plans,  and  he  was  getting  very  impatient 
The  worst  thing  that  could  happen  to  him  would  be  for  these  two 
to  marry.  In  that  case  all  would  probably  go  on  as  before,  and  he 
would  have  no  chance.  But  if  each  of  the  two  were  to^marry  some 
outsider,  there  would  be  two  royal  families,  dissensions  must  soon 
follow,  and  these  would  give  him  the  opportunity  to  work  out  his 
own  plans. 

Not  knowing  what  to  do,  Gromline  went  to  a  sorcerer  to  ask 
advice.  The  old  gentleman  listened  to  the  case  with  great  atten- 
tion. 

"  I  see  your  point,"  said  he,  when  the  minister  had  finished. 
"  Did  you  ever  happen  to  consider,  in  this  connection,  Prince  Atto 
and  the  Princess  Lista  ?  " 

"  Never  thought  of  them  !  "  exclaimed  Gromline. 

"  Well,  sir,"  said  the  sorcerer,  "  I  believe  these  two  will  answer 
your  purpose  in  every  respect.  Nustyria,  their  miserable,  stony 
country,  adjoins  this.  Their  parents  will  be  glad  for  them  to 
marry  anybody  who  will  have  them.  Lista  is  a  wild,  harum- 
scarum,  horsy  and  doggy  girl,  who  would  enter  gladly  into  all 
the  pursuits  of  the  king,  and  Atto  is  a  thin-legged,  round-sh,oul- 
dered  bookworm,  who  devotes  himself  to  the  very  things  that 
please  Queen  Millice.  More  than  this,  these  two  hate  each  other 


THE  GREAT  SHOW  IN  KOBOL-LAND. 


heartily,  and  if  they  married  our  sovereigns  the  dissensions  you  de- 
sire would  come  on  quickly  enough." 
"Admirable!"  cried  Gromline. 
"  Those  two  youngsters  are  just  the 
couple  I  want,  but  the  king  and 
queen  have  never  seen  them.  The 
two  nations  are  not  friendly,  and 
how  will  it  be  possible  to  bring  these 
young  people  together  ?  " 

The  sorcerer  considered.  "The 
simplest  thing  will  be,"  he  said,  "  to 
have  them  meet  on  neutral  ground. 
What  do  you  think  of  getting  some 
sort  of  a  show  in  the  lower  part  of 
Kobol-land,  in  the  Dimmer-Glade,  for 
instance,  which  lies  near  both  coun- 
tries? If  you  make  it  attractive  in 
the  proper  way,  I  have  no  doubt  that 
our  king  and  queen,  as  well  as  Prince 
Atto  and  Princess  Lista,  will  be  sure 
to  attend  it." 

Gromline  waved  his  hat  around 
his  head.  "  You  hit  the  mark,"  he 
cried,  "and  I  know  exactly  what  I 
shall  do.  I  will  get  up  a  great  flower 
show,  and  in  connection  with  it  there 
shall  be  athletic  sports.  Queen  Mil- 
lice  adores  flowers,  and  so  does  that 
young  Atto.  The  sports  will  bring 
the  other  two,  and  in  Kobol-land  we 

can  do  as  we  please.     No  laws  can    interfere   with  us    there.     I 


GRAGLICK,    MEASURE    MY    GRIN.' 


THE   GREAT  SHOW  IN  KOBOL-LAND.  135 


shall  exhibit  my  bean.     My  friend,  I  owe  you  everlasting  grati- 
tude." 

"And  seventy  sequins,"  said  the  sorcerer. 

When  the  Minister  of  Agriculture  had  departed,  the  sorcerer 
sat  and  smiled  and  smiled  and  smiled.  His  amusement  was  so 
great  that  it  impressed  itself  upon  his  attention,  apd  he  summoned 
his  body  servant. 

"  Graglick,"  said  he,  "  measure  my  grin." 

Taking  a  tape  measure  from  his  pocket,  the  servant  obeyed. 

"  Master,"  he  said,  "  it  is  eight  inches  and  a  quarter  long." 

"Ha!"  exclaimed  the  sorcerer,  "that  is  my  largest  grin,  and 
well  might  it  be.  I  shall  have  a  fine  joke  on  this  fellow  with  his 
Cosmic  Bean,  and  his  schemes  for  revolution.  This  royal  match- 
maker and  throne-upsetter  !  A  flower  show  and  athletic  sports  in 
Kobol-land  !  Oh,  there  will  be  rare  times  !  " 

The  sorcerer  had  good  cause  for  expecting  rare  times.  Kobol- 
land,  which,  at  its  southern  extremity,  touched  the  two  kingdoms, 
extended  far  away  into  the  unknown  regions,  and  was  the  home 
of  fairies,  gnomes,  giants,  genii,  afrits,  centaurs,  nymphs,  dryads, 
brownies,  dragons,  griffins,  and  other  wonderful  and  curious  beings. 
Few  people  from  either  of  the  adjoining  countries  ever  wandered 
far  into  Kobol-land.  But  the  Dimmer-Glade,  a  beautiful  region, 
scarcely  a  mile  from  the  southern  boundary,  had  frequently  been 
visited  by  parties  who  were  fond  of  lovely  scenery  and  took  an 
interest  in  the  strange  inhabitants  of  the  place,  who,  even  those 
with  terrible  aspects,  had  always  been  friendly  enough  to  occasional 
visitors. 

There  could  be  no  doubt  that  a  great  show,  a  short  distance 
within  the  borders  of  Kobol-land,  would  attract  a  vast  crowd  of 
strangers  of  both  high  and  low  degree,  and  not  only  that — and  the 
sorcerer  laughed  aloud  as  he  thought  of  it — such  an  exhibition 


136  THE  GREAT  SHOW  IN  KOBOL-LAND. 

would  draw  to  it  every  queer  creature  of  the  land,  from  the  biggest 
giant  to  the  smallest  pigwidgeon,  and  if  this  rare  mixture  of 
exhibitors  and  spectators  at  a  flower  show,  and  of  competitors 
in-athletic  games,  did  not  result  in  a  high  old  time  it  would  be 
wonderful  indeed. 

But  the  sorcerer  had  hopes  that  the  show  would  have  far  more 
important  results  than  the  fun,  the  excitement,  and  the  surprising 
occurrences  which  might  be  expected  at  a  great  concourse,  where 
visitors  from  ordinary  countries  would  mingle  on  common  ground 
with  the  strange  inhabitants  of  Kobol-land.  He  thought  he  had 
reason  to  believe  that  something  of  advantage  to  his  country  would 
result  from  this  exhibition. 

The  sorcerer  was  a  good  sort  of  man,  and  knowing  that  the 
Minister  of  Agriculture  was  a  most  dangerous  plotter  against  the 
public  welfare,  he  was  delighted  to  think  that  he  had  proposed  a 
plan  the  influence  and  effect  of  which  would  probably  be  exactly 
the  opposite  to  those  for  which  Gromline  was  scheming. 

On  the  next  day  after  the  conversation  between  Gromline  and 
the  sorcerer  the  whole  kingdom  of  Tanobar  was  gorgeous  with 
many-colored  placards  announcing  the  great  show  in  Kobol-land, 
and  very  shortly  afterward  the  walls  and  trees  of  Nustyria  were 
decorated  with  like  brilliant  placards,  which  the  Minister  of  Agri- 
culture sent  over  the  border  by  the  wagon-load. 

The  announcement  created  great  interest  and  excitement,  and 
early  on  the  opening  day  nearly  everybody  in  the  two  countries 
who  was  able  to  do  so  was  on  the  road  to  the  Dimmer-Glade. 
People  on  horses,  people  in  wagons,  people  on  camels,  elephants, 
and  on  foot,  with  here  and  there  a  man  bestriding  an  ox  or  an 
ostrich,  crowded  the  highways  and  byways  leading  to  Kobol-land. 

King  Chamian,  on  a  tall  hunter,  rode  boldly  thither  with  a  little 
band  of  courtiers  and  companions,  while,  in  a  handsome  carriage, 


THE  GREAT  SHOW  IN  KOBOL-LAND. 


drawn  by  four  cream-colored  horses,  and  followed  by  other  car- 
riages containing  the  ladies  of  her  court,  the  young  Queen  Millice 
journeyed  to  the  flower  show. 

From  the  capital  of  Nustyria  came  the  Princess  Lista  on  a  wiry 
bob-tailed  steed,  with  wicked  back-turned  ears,  and  a  pace  so  swift 


THE    JOURNEY    TO    KOBOL-LAND. 

that  her  attendants  were  left  behind  long  before  she  reached  the 
Dimmer-Glade.  And  from  that  city  came  also  the  Prince  Atto, 
stretched  at  full  length  on  a  cushioned  platform,  borne  on  the  back 
of  an  elephant,  and  busily  engaged  in  the  study  of  a  book  of 
logarithms,  while  an  attendant  crouched  by  him  and  held  a  sun 
umbrella  over  his  head. 


138  THE   GREAT  SHOW  IN  KOBOL-LAND. 

The  desire  of  this  Princess  and  this  Prince  of  Nustyria  to  visit 
the  show  in  Kobol-land  had  been  greatly  increased  when  they  heard 
that  King  Chamian  and  Queen  Millice  would  be  there.  Although 
Atto  and  Lista  belonged  to  a  royal  family  they  were  not  heirs  to 
the  throne  of  Nustyria,  and  having  but  very  poor  prospects  in  their 
native  land  would  be  very  glad  to  make  marriages  which  would 
bring  them  good  positions  and  fortunes,  and  what  could  suit  them 
better  than  alliances  with  the  noble  young  King  and  beautiful 
young  Queen  of  Tanobar? 

Lista  had  never  met  Chamian,  but  she  had  heard  of  his  deeds 
of  horsemanship  and  athletics,  and  felt  certain  he  was  just  the 
sort  of  man  she  would  like,  while  Atto  knew  all  about  Millice  and 
was  quite  as  sure  that  she  would  suit  him  as  he  was  that  she  could 
not  find  a  better  husband  than  himself. 

Of  the  possibilities  of  a  divided  kingdom  the  prince  and  prin- 
cess thought  not  at  all,  and,  in  fact,  they  gave  very  little  thought 
to  each  other ;  and,  when  they  did,  Atto  wished  that  the  king  and 
Lista  might  break  their  necks  together,  and  Lista  said  to  herself 
that  if  Atto  would  travel  away  with  Queen  Millice,  or  with  any- 
body else,  and  go  so  far  that  she  would  never  see  him  again,  she 
would  be  very  glad  indeed. 

Arrived  at  the  Dimmer-Glade,  the  visitors  found  there  a  grand 
pavilion  erected  for  the  flower  show,  while  booths  and  tents  of 
various  sizes  and  colors  decorated  the  grassy  plain.  A  wide  stretch 
of  level  land  at  the  upper  end  of  the  glade,  and  nearly  surrounded 
by  low  hills,  on  which  thousands  of  spectators  could  sit  or  stand, 
was  set  aside  for  the  athletic  games.  As  the  show  was  to  last  three 
days,  kings,  queens,  princes,  princesses,  rich  people  and  poor  ones 
pitched  their  tents  far  up  and  down  the  smooth  expanse  of  the 
Dimmer-Glade. 

Although  the  news  of  the  show  had  created  a  great  popular 


THE  GREAT  SHOW  IN  KOBOL-LAND. 


sensation  throughout  Tanobar  and  Nustyria,  the  excitement  among 
the  inhabitants  of  Kobol-land  was  even  greater.  The  affair  was 
so  novel  and  promised  to  be  so  inter- 
esting that  even  the  mighty  giant 
Jirg,  who  seldom  came  out  of  his 
lofty  castle,  except  to  hunt  in  the 
wild  mountains  of  the  north,  de- 
clared his  intention  of  attending  the 
show.  From  the  mysterious  laby- 
rinths of  the  dark  gorges  came  afrits, 
black,  shiny,  and  with  stealthy  tread. 
And  from  the  mines  and  the  hills 
crept  many  a  gnome,  wondering  what 
he  was  going  to  see. 

As  to  fairies,  there  was  no  end 
to  them.  The  queen  and  her  court 
were  there,  and  nearly  all  her  sub- 
jects. A  troop  of  dryads  took  pos- 
session of  a  grove  of  oak-trees  near 
the  glade,  and  among  some  high 
rocks  at  the  head  of  a  quiet  little 
lake  four  sirens  ensconced  them- 
selves with  their  harps. 

As  many  of  the  Kobol-landers 
intended  to  exhibit  in  the  flower 
show  and  compete  in  the  games, 
these  mixed  freely  with  the  other 
exhibitors  and  the  visitors,  and  it 

was    not    long    before  a  general   air  of   sociability    pervaded    the 
glade. 

Queen  Millice  was  in  her  royal  tent  sipping  a  cup  of  chocolate 


ALL    FAIRYLAND    WAS   THERE. 


1 40  THE   GREAT  SHOW  IN  KOBUL-LAND. 

when  suddenly  the  tent  was  filled  with  a  sort  of  smoky  fog,  so 
dense  that  she  could  see  nothing  about  her.  Supposing  that  the 
furniture  had  taken  fire  she  was  about  to  cry  out  for  assistance, 
when  the  vapor  resolved  itself  into  the  form  of  a  tall  genie,  who 
seated  himself  upon  the  divan,  crossed  his  legs,  and  with  a  bland 
smile  inquired  how  she  liked  the  country. 

As  this  individual  had  never  been  presented  to  her,  and  for 
other  reasons,  the  young  queen  hesitated  a  little  before  entering 
into  conversation  ;  but  remembering  where  she  was,  and  that  this 
was  one  of  the  natives  of  the  soil,  she  replied  with  her  usual  cour- 
tesy, and  the  two  were  soon  engaged  in  a  pleasant  chat.  The 
genie  was  curious  to  know  if  this  was  her  first  visit  to  Kobol-land, 
and  how  long  she  intended  to  stay,  and  with  much  animation  he 
told  her  of  points  of  great  interest  which  she  should  not  fail  to 
visit  before  leaving. 

The  queen  of  the  fairies  paid  a  royal  visit  to  Chamian,  and  he 
was  so  delighted  with  her  that  he  said  to  some  of  his  courtiers  that 
if  she  were  bigger,  or  he  were  smaller,  he  would  give  up  his  throne 
and  ask  to  be  made  king  of  the  fairies. 

Princess  Lista  rode  directly  to  Chamian's  stables,  where  she 
found  a  company  of  brownies,  combing  and  brushing  the  horses 
till  they  shone  like  silk.  This  greatly  pleased  Lista,  and  she  was 
about  to  offer  the  brownies  a  permanent  engagement  in  her  stables, 
but  on  second  thought  she  concluded  to  wait  and  see  how  things 
turned  out. 

Prince  Atto  had  always  doubted  the  existence  of  griffins,  but 
walking  near  the  flower  pavilion  he  beheld  one  of  these  great  creat- 
ures descending  from  the  upper  air,  and  holding  between  its  fore 
paws  a  large  pot  of  chrysanthemums.  Swooping  down  close  to 
him  the  griffin  said  to  Atto  : 

"  Will  you  be  so  good,  sir,  as  to  take  hold  of  one  side  of  this 


THE  GREAT  SHOW  IN  KOBOL-LAND.  141 

pot,  so  that  I  can  set  it  on  the  ground  without  shaking  the  earth 
or  injuring  the  flowers  ?  " 

Atto  had  never  been  asked  to  help  anybody  to  do  any  sort  of 
work,  and  his  princely  soul  instantly  rebelled  at  this  request,  but 
after  a  second  look  at  the  griffin  he  took  hold  of  one  side  of  the 
pot  and  helped  the  winged  monster  to  set  it  gently  on  the  ground. 

When  the  flower  pavilion  was  opened  it  was  soon  filled  with  an 
animated  crowd.  The  display  of  flowers  and  plants  was  so  curious 
and  wonderful  that  even  Chamian  and  Lista,  who  usually  cared 
little  for  such  things,  were  greatly  interested.  The  first  thing  that 
met  the  eyes  of  the  people  as  they  came  in  at  the  grand  entrance 
was  a  double  row  of  plants  of  the  Cosmic  Bean,  brought  from 
Gromline's  secret  gardens. 

The  ripe  beans,  which,  mingled  with  the  blossoms  and  pods  in 
all  stages  of  growth,  hung  in  astonishing  profusion  from  the  tall 
plants,  were  freely  offered  to  the  visitors.  And  as  these  had  a 
delicious  flavor  when  eaten  raw,  the  people  were  delighted  with 
them,  and  eagerly  read  the  great  placards  on  which  were  printed 
the  wonderful  virtues  and  advantages  of  the  Cosmic  Bean. 

Around  the  great  central  space  of  the  pavilion,  and  up  and 
down  its  long  passageways,  was  arranged  a  collection  of  plants 
such  as  never  before  had  been  seen  in  this  world. 

The  plants  contributed  by  the  Kobol-landers  were  far  more  curi- 
ous than  any  others.  The  chrysanthemum  brought  by  the  griffin 
occupied  a  conspicuous  place.  Its  flowers  were  as  large  as  saucers 
and  of  a  blood-red  color.  Whenever  the  plant  was  watered  streaks 
of  fiery  yellow  shot  through  the  petals,  and  a  shower  of  little  sparks 
was  thrown  off  in  every  direction.  This  chrysanthemum  was  labelled 
Miss  Sophia  Hypogrif. 

There  was  a  very  odd  cactus,  which  was  exhibited  by  two  brown- 
ies, who  had  taken  years  to  bring  it  to  perfection.  Every  quarter 


i42  THE  GREAT  SHOW  IN  KOBOL-LAND. 

of  an  hour  a  bud  appeared  on  one  of  the  leaves  of  this  cactus, 
and  this  bud  grew  and  swelled  for  about  two  minutes,  when  it 
opened  and  displayed  a  large  cucumber  pickle,  ready  to  eat. 

In  a  circular  tank  was  a  water  lily,  exhibited  by  an  elderly 
mermaid.  The  leaves  of  the  lily,  which  were  large  and  lay 
flat  upon  the  water,  were  very  hot,  so  that  food  could  be  cooked 
upon  them,  particularly  griddle  cakes,  which  were  made  in  great 
numbers  by  some  little  black  imps,  who  took  a  keen  delight  in 
serving  them  to  the  visitors  who  surrounded  the  tank.  The  mer- 
maid herself  never  ate  griddle  cakes,  which  might  be  inferred  from 
the  fact  that  she  was  elderly. 

The  fairies  contributed  a  great  number  of  beautiful  flowers, 
among  which  were  the  convertible  blossoms.  A  bud  on  one  of 
these  plants  would  open  and  disclose  a  rose.  In  an  hour  this  would 
change  to  a  marigold,  in  another  hour  to  a  chrysanthemum.  It 
would  then  become  a  zinnia,  a  tulip,  and  so  change  hourly  into 
other  flowers,  until  at  the  twelfth  transformation  it  became  an 
immortelle  and  lasted  indefinitely. 

There  was  a  species  of  dogwood,  grown  principally  by  afrits, 
the  long  branches  of  which  were  trained  to  hang  close  to  the  ground 
and  catch  rats. 

There  were  blossoms  like  great  sunflowers,  each  of  which  re- 
volved on  a  pivot,  and  dazzled  the  eyes  of  the  beholders  ;  there 
were  egg-plants,  the  fruit  of  which  could  be  hatched  in  the  sun, 
and  produced  different  sorts  of  barnyard  fowls ;  and  there  was  the 
"  ghost-plant,"  misty  and  vaporous  to  the  view,  through  the  leaves 
and  stems  of  which  one  might  pass  his  hand  without  injury  to  the 
plant.  There  was  the  "  tourist  vine,"  which,  growing  under  a  tree, 
would  send  up  a  long  shoot  until  it  reached  a  lower  branch.  Fast- 
ening itself  to  this,  it  would  suddenly  contract  and  pull  itself  up 
by  the  roots ;  these  would  be  drawn  up  and  attached  to  the  limb, 


THE  GREAT  SHOW  IN  KOBOL-LAND.  143 

and  the  plant  would  again  send  up  its  shoot,  reach  a  higher  limb, 
and  draw  itself  up  as  before.  In  this  way  it  would  climb  to  the 
top  of  the  tree,  where,  attaching  its  roots  to  the  topmost  branch, 
it  would  send  its  shoot  high  into  the  air,  where  it  would  seize  on 
the  first  large  bird  that  passed  near  enough,  and,  loosening  its  root 
from  the  tree,  would  be  carried  to  a  foreign  land. 

There  were  talking  flowers  which  said,  "good  morning," 
"  papa,"  "  mamma  "  ;  there  were  flowers  contributed  by  the  demon 
of  the  glacier,  which  looked  like  roses  and  dahlias  and  other  blos- 
soms, but  were  really  water-ices  of  delicious  flavors,  which,  when 
plucked  for  eating,  would  quickly  be  succeeded  by  others  upon  the 
same  stems.  Besides  these  unnatural  and  curious  plants  there 
could  be  seen  in  this  show  every  sort  of  ordinary  flower,  the  size, 
fragrance,  and  beauty  of  which  had  been  so  improved  that  it  could 
scarcely  be  recognized. 

King  Chamian  and  Lista  soon  became,  of  course,  good  friends, 
and  wandered  together  through  the  pavilion  ;  and,  although  they 
could  not  fail  to  be  amused  at  the  curious  and  wonderful  plants 
they  saw,  they  were  impatient  for  the  afternoon  and  the  beginning 
of  the  sports. 

Millice  walked  by  herself,  followed  by  some  of  her  ladies  and 
watched  by  Atto,  who  intended  to  make  himself  known  to  her,  but 
wished  to  wait  a  little  in  order  to  find  out  what  sort  of  a  girl 
she  was.  Gromline  was  near  by,  and,  seeing  that  the  queen  and 
Prince  Atto  were  not  likely  to  become  acquainted,  hastened  to 
Atto,  led  him  to  Millice,  and  presented  him.  The  queen  and  the 
prince  had  walked  together  but  a  short  distance  when  they  came 
upon  a  plant  contributed  by  a  Nustyrian  gardener,  which  rivalled 
some  of  the  productions  of  the  Kobol-landers.  He  had  grafted 
the  water-lily,  the  sugar-cane,  the  cow-tree,  and  the  fire-weed  upon 
a  tea-plant,  and  when  one  of  the  large,  cup-like  blossoms  was  pulled 


144  THE   GREAT  SHOW  IN  KOBOL-LAND. 

off  and  held  under  the  end  of  the  broken  stem,  it  was  speedily 
filled  with  fragrant  and  delicious  tea.  Although  Millice  did  not 
care  for  many  of  the  monstrosities  she  had  seen,  this  plant  attracted 
her,  and  Atto  was  also  interested  in  it,  for  he  was  fond  of  tea. 
After  drinking  two  cups  of  the  beverage,  an  idea  struck  him. 

"  Would  you  like  a  plant  like  this,  Queen  Millice  ?  " 

"  I  should  like  it  very  much.  I  wonder  if  the  seed  can  be 
procured  ?  " 

"The  plant  itself  would  be  much  better,"  said  Atto,  and,  turn- 
ing to  the  gardener,  he  inquired  the  price. 

"  One  hundred  sequins,  your  highness,"  replied  the  man. 

"  Nonsense,"  said  the  prince  ;  "twenty-five  will  be  quite  enough. 
I  will  take  the  plant,  and  you  can  have  it  carried  immediately  to 
my  tent." 

"  But,  your  highness,"  said  the  poor  man,  turning  a  little  pale, 
"  I  have  spent  more  than  that  upon  it,  and  besides,  it  would  injure 
me  very  much  to  have  it  removed  from  exhibition  at  the  very 
beginning  of  the  flower  show.  Without  this  plant  my  collection 
is  nothing." 

•"  Take  it  to  my  tent,"  said  Atto,  who  wished  to  put  a  pretty 
inscription  on  it  and  send  it  to  the  queen.  "  You  have  to  be  very 
careful  with  these  fellows,"  he  said,  turning  to  Millice,  "  or  they 
will  cheat  you  dreadfully." 

The  young  queen  answered  not  a  word,  but  stepping  back- 
ward, called  one  of  her  ladies,  and  with  her  walked  away,  leaving 
Atto  standing  by  himself.  The  prince  was  a  good  deal  discon- 
certed by  this  proceeding,  and  after  gazing  a  few  minutes  after 
Millice,  he  said  to  the  gardener  that  he  could  leave  the  plant  where 
it  was  for  the  present,  as  he  might  not  want  it  ;  and  then  walked 
away  to  consider  the  situation. 

"  I  have  made  a  mistake,"  he  said  to  himself.     "  I  have  shown 


THE   GR&A1    SHOW  IN  KOBOL-LAND  145 

her,  too  abruptly,  my  habits  of  prudence  and  economy.  I  must 
do  something  to  make  a  good  impression  upon  her." 

By  this  time  he  had  reached  one  of  the  doors  of  the  pavilion, 
and  he  stepped  into  the  open  air.  At  the  end  of  the  glade  he  saw 
the  most  lively  preparations  going  on  for  the  games  in  the  after- 
noon. Even  now  the  people  were  leaving  the  pavilion  and  flocking 
to  the  hills  to  secure  good  places.  At  one  of  the  best  points  for 
observation  he  saw  that  there  had  been  erected  two  royal  stands. 

"  Aha  !  "  said  he  to  himself,  "  the  queen  intends  to  view  the 
games.  It  might  be  well  if  I  were  to  take  a  part  in  them.  Wom- 
en, even  the  best  of  them,  are  so  foolish  as  to  like  that  sort 
of  thing.  But  the  trouble  is,  I  don't  know  how  to  do  anything 
athletic.  I  have  never  engaged  in  such  fatiguing  and  senseless 
exercises.  But  nearly  everybody  will  be  doing  something,  and  I 
do  not  like  to  be  left  out." 

At  this  moment  he  heard  a  sound  like  a  great  wind  behind  him, 
and  quickly  turning  he  saw  the  griffin  swooping  to  the  ground. 

"  I  am  glad  to  see  you  again,  young  man,"  said  the  monster. 
"  You  were  very  kind  to  help  me  with  that  flower-pot,  so  that  I 
did  not  injure  a  blossom  of  my  chrysanthemums,  which  will  proba- 
bly get  the  prize.  I  should  like  to  do  something  for  you.  I  sup- 
pose you  are  going  to  take  part  in  the  games.  How  would  you 
like  to  ride  me  bareback  around  the  arena  ?  That  is  a  great  chance 
for  a  young  man,  and  one  seldom  offered." 

Atto  trembled  in  every  fibre. 

"  Oh,  I  could  never  do  that ! "  he  exclaimed  ;  "  I  cannot  ride 
bareback  even  on  a  horse,  and  it  would  be  impossible  on  anything 
flying  through  the  air." 

''Nonsense,"  said  the  griffin;  "it  is  as  easy  and  as  safe  as 
winking.  You  can  stand  on  my  back." 

"  Stand  ?  "  cried  Atto,  in  horror. 


146 


THE  GREAT  SHOW  IN  KOBOL-LAND. 


"  Yes,"  said  the  monster,  "  you  will  find  that  even  more  secure 
than  sitting,  and  it  will  make  a  much  better  show.      I  will  curl  my 

tail  high  over  my  back, 
and  make  it  as  stiff  as 
a  bar  of  iron.  My  horny 
lumps  will  give  you  a 
good  footing,  and  with 
your  hands  firmly  grasp- 
ing the  upper  end  of 
my  tail,  it  will  be  im- 
possible for  you  to  fall 
off.  Good  !  The  thing 
is  settled  !  I  was  look- 
ing for  some  one  to  ride 
me,  and  you  are  the 
very  man.  You  are  not 
heavy  and  I  want  to  do 
you  a  favor.  I  will  go 
now  and  arrange  for 
our  performance,  and 
at  the  proper  time  I 
will  look  you  up." 

So  saying,  thegrifHn 
surged  away  through 
the  air,  and  poor  Atto 
remained,  shaking  in 

GROMLINE    AND    HIS    BEAN.  his  boOtS. 

"  Here    will    .be    a 

blood-curdling  way  of  appearing  before  the  queen,"  he  thought. 
"  And  there's  no  getting  out  of  it ;  that  winged  monster  will  be 
sure  to  look  me  up  ! " 


THE   GREAT  SHOW  IN  KOBOL-LAND.  147 

Gromline  was  in  a  very  good  humor ;  his  plans  appeared  to  be 
working  admirably.  Everybody  was  talking  about  his  Cosmic 
Bean,  and  even  the  Princess  Lista,  who  usually  paid  little  attention 
to  such  things,  had  said  that  she  wished  it  could  be  introduced 
into  her  country,  and  then,  perhaps,  there  might  be  less  said  about 
the  starving  poor. 

Moreover,  King  Chamian  and  Lista  were  getting  acquainted 
very  fast,  and  he  had  invited  her  to  sit  in  his  royal  box  when  she 
was  not  taking  part  in  the  games.  This  was  all  very  well.  If 
these  two  should  marry  there  would  be  a  great  chance  for  him  and 
his  bean,  but  in  regard  to  Queen  Millice  things  were  not  going  on 
so  well ;  she  had  soon  separated  herself  from  Prince  Atto,  and  was 
now  sitting  alone  in  her  box  reading  a  book  until  the  games  should 
begin.  The  prince  had  not  been  invited  to  sit  with  her,  that  was 
plain  to  see. 

This  was  not  all  satisfactory  to  Gromline,  but  it  did  not  dampen 
his  spirits.  It  could  scarcely  be  expected  that  grave  and  studious 
people  like  Millice  and  Atto  could  come  together  as  quickly  as  the 
more  lively  Chamian  and  Lista.  But  if  the  prince  had  any  sense 
or  wit  at  all,  he  could  not  fail  to  make  an  impression  upon  Millice 
before  the  show  was  over. 

The  games  were  just  about  to  begin  when  Gromline  met  Atto. 

"What  is  the  matter  with  your  highness?"  the  minister  ex- 
claimed. "  Are  you  not  feeling  well  ?" 

"  Not  very,"  replied  Atto,  and  in  the  hope  that  Gromline 
might  be  able  to  help  him  he  told  him  of  the  proposition  of  the 
griffin. 

"  I  am  afraid,"  said  the  prince,  "to  absolutely  refuse  his  offer, 
for  if  he  is  made  angry  there  is  no  knowing  what  he  may  do.  Can 
you  think  of  any  way  in  which  I  can  get  out  of  this  scrape  ?  " 

"Get  out  of  it!"  cried  Gromline.     "Don't  dream  of  such  a 


i48  THE   GREAT  SHOW  IN  KOBOL-LAND. 


thing.  Here  is  a  chance  of  performing  an  astounding  and  unheard- 
of  feat  without  the  least  danger  in  the  world.  It  will  not  do  for 
you  to  lose  it.  It  will  impress  everybody,  especially  Queen  Millice, 
with  the  conviction  that,  although  a  prince  of  intellect  does  not 
in  general  care  for  useless  sports,  still,  when  he  pleases,  he  can 
with  ease  perform  a  feat  far  above  anything  which  the  athletes 
have  even  thought  of." 

Poor  Atto  sighed.      It  appeared  that  he  was  in  for  it. 

The  games  began  with  a  hurdle  footrace,  open  to  all  com- 
petitors. Among  those  who  ran  were  stout-legged  young  men 
from  Tanobar  and  Nustyria,  three  youthful  giants  from  the  moun- 
tains— who  were,  however,  too  heavy  to  jump,  and  broke  down 
several  hurdles — a  lot  of  nimble  brownies,  and  many  other  two- 
legged  Kobol-landers.  A  genie,  with  blazing  eyes,  soon  took  the 
lead,  often  going  over  two  hurdles  at  once,  although  they  were 
a  considerable  distance  apart,  but  he  was  ruled  out  of  the  race 
because  his  soaring  flights  were  neither  running  nor  jumping. 
Near  the  head  of  the  long  line  was  the  sorcerer's  kangaroo,  who 
at  one  time  made  a  beautiful  bound  entirely  over  a  Nustyrian 
athlete,  who  at  that  moment  was  clearing  a  hurdle,  but  he  was  also 
ruled  out  of  the  race  because  he  did  nothing  but  jump,  and  did  not 
run  at  all. 

There  were  others  who  did  not  understand  the  rules,  and 
among  these  were  several  gnomes  of  the  mines,  with  long  beards 
and  spindle  legs,  who  ran  with  great  swiftness  but  went  under  the 
hurdles  without  so  much  as  bobbing  their  heads,  never  imagining 
that  they  were  expected  to  jump  over  those  lofty  bars.  An  afrit 
won  this  race,  his  long,  black,  shining  body  bounding  and  darting 
ahead  like  an  India-rubber  savage  dipped  in  oil. 

Next  came  a  grand  horserace,  in  which  each  steed  was  to  be 
ridden  by  its  owner.  And  in  this  King  Chamian  and  Princess 


THE   GREAT  SHOW  IN  KOBOL-LAND.  149 

Lista  took  part.  The  young  king  rode  a  black  courser  of  the 
desert  ;  the  princess  was  mounted  on  her  raw-boned  mare,  all  fire 
and  muscle,  with  wicked  eyes  and  back-bent  ears.  There  were 
about  fifty  other  steeds,  mounted  by  all  sorts  of  riders.  Among 
these  was  a  lively  sprite  bestriding  a  Pegasus  colt,  but  he  was  not 
allowed  to  enter  the  race,  because  it  was  quite  certain  that  his  horse 
would  use  his  wings.  The  sprite  was  greatly  grieved  by  this 
decision,  and  said  he  was  perfectly  willing  that  all  the  other  riders 
should  put  up  sails  if  that  would  make  things  even.  Another  rider 
was  a  ghost  who  had  formerly  been  a  celebrated  horseman,  but  he 
soon  came  to  grief,  for  his  horse,  imagining  that  no  one  was  on  his 
back,  kicked  up  his  heels  and  tossed  himself  entirely  through  the 
body  of  his  rider,  and,  flirting  his  tail  through  the  separated 
portion,  dashed  to  one  side  and  left  the  course. 

Chamian  rode  splendidly,  and  his  swift  horse  soon  carried  him 
to  the  head  of  the  line,  but  Lista  was  beside  him,  and  her  wicked 
mare  with  glaring  eyes,  who  sped  faster  and  faster  as  her  blood 
grew  hotter,  soon  took  the  lead  and  kept  it  till  the  race  was  done, 
and  the  shouts  of  the  multitude  proclaimed  her  the  victor. 

Queen  Millice  had  watched  this  race  with  much  interest,  for  she 
liked  to  see  the  fine  action  of  a  spirited  horse,  and  she  was  very 
sorry  that  Lista' s  ugly  beast  had  won  the  race.  She  would  have 
been  much  better  pleased  if  her  cousin's  beautiful  charger  had 
been  the  winner,  not  because  he  belonged  to  Chamian,  but  because 
he  was  such  a  noble  animal. 

The  princess  was  very  proud  of  her  victory,  and  her  heart  beat 
high  at  the  congratulations  which  poured  in  on  her  from  every  side. 

"  I  have  a  colt  at  home,"  she  cried  to  Chamian,  "who  is  more 
fiery  and  wicked  than  this  mare,  with  better  withers,  pasterns,  hocks 
and  cannon  bones,  and  I  am  going  to  train  him  so  that  I  can  outdo 
even  what  I  have  done  to-day,"  and  she  laughed  triumphantly. 


150  THE   GREAT  SHOW  IN  KOBOL-LAND. 

King  Chamian  did  not  very  much  like  to  be  beaten,  but  as  he 
was  beaten  he  was  glad  that  it  was  Lista,  and  no  one  else,  who 
had  come  in  ahead  of  him.  She  was  a  fine,  spirited  horse-woman, 
and  he  liked  that  sort  of  a  girl,  but  he  could  not  help  wishing  that 
she  did  not  laugh  and  talk  quite  so  loudly,  and  did  not  speak  so 
familiarly  to  her  grooms. 

There  now  trotted  into  the  arena  a  handsome  centaur,  both 
his  man  part  and  his  horse  part  denoting  high  breeding.  He 
approached  the  royal  boxes,  and  bowed  to  the  occupants.  Queen 
Millice  was  pleased  with  the  courteous  air  and  the  graceful  move- 
ments of  the  centaur,  and  was  curious  to  know  what  he  was  going 
to  do.  She  beckoned  him  toward  her. 

"  Have  you  no  competitors  ?"  she  asked. 

"  None,  your  majesty,"  replied  the  centaur,  with  a  bow  and  a 
smile,  "excepting  old  Father  Time." 

"  I  do  not  understand,"  said  Millice. 

"  It  is  my  intention,  your  majesty,"  explained  the  centaur,  "  to 
trot  alone  around  this  arena,  and  to  endeavor  to  beat  any  previous 
record  of  fast  time  ;  and  not  only  this,  but  to  make  such  a  record 
for  myself  as  cannot  easily  be  beaten  in  the  future." 

The  queen  was  very  much  interested  in  the  effort  the  centaur 
was  about  to  make  in  this  race  against  his  ancestors  and  his  pos- 
terity— she  liked  a  high  ambition. 

"  What  is  the  quickest  time  a  mile  has  yet  been  trotted  in  ?" 
she  asked., 

"  Two  minutes  and  eight  and  a  quarter  seconds,"  replied  the 
centaur,  "  and  by  your  majesty's  permission,  I  will  now  endeavor 
to  beat  that."  And  with  a  bow,  which  he  repeated  as  he  passed 
the  other  royal  box,  the  centaur  began  to  trot  around  the  ring,  so 
as  to  warm  himself  for  his  work. 

He  did  not  go  very  fast  at  first,  but  when  he  reached  the  start- 


THE  GREAT  SHOW  IN  KOBOL-LAND.  151 

ing  post  he  set  off  at  a  great  pace.  His  legs  moved  beneath  him 
with  such  rapidity  that  they  could  scarcely  be  seen,  and  his  body 
shook  and  trembled  as  if  a  steam-engine  were  working  at  its 
highest  velocity  inside  of  him. 

Around  he  went,  the  spectators  almost  holding  their  breaths  as 
he  passed,  until  he  shot  by  the  judges'  stand,  and  slackened  his 
speed.  In  an  instant  one  of  the  judges  dashed  at  a  tall  blackboard, 
and  marked  upon  it,  in  great  figures,  two  minutes  and  seven  and 
three-quarters  seconds.  The  centaur  had  beaten  all  previous 
records. 

Then  went  up  a  great  shout  from  the  multitude,  and  for  a  time 
nothing  could  be  heard  but  cheering  and  clapping.  Lista  and 
Chamian  came  down  from  their  box,  and  shook  the  centaur  by 
the  hand,  while  Queen  Millice  beckoned  to  him  to  approach  her. 
Pushing  through  the  crowd  that  surrounded  him,  and  wiping  his 
heated  face  with  his  handkerchief,  the  centaur  came  to  the  queen's 
box. 

"  You  have  done  well,"  said  she.  "  I  congratulate  you  on  your 
success." 

The  centaur  bowed  and  thanked  her. 

"  But  it  is  only  half  a  success,"  he  said.  "  It  is  true  I  have 
beaten  the  past,  but  I  must  now  trot  against  coming  ages." 

Again  the  track  was  cleared,  and  the  centaur  prepared  for  his 
second  heat.  This  time  he  held  a  stop-watch  in  his  hand,  so  that 
he  might  see  as  he  trotted  how  fast  he  was  going,  and,  if  neces- 
sary, increase  his  efforts.  Away  he  sped,  and  at  the  half-mile  post 
he  held  up  his  watch  before  him,  and  then  all  could  see  that  his 
wonderful  speed  was  increased. 

If  it  had  seemed  before  that  a  steam-engine  were  working 
within  him,  one  might  now  imagine  that  same  engine  had  broken 
loose  from  all  government,  and  was  tearing  him  to  pieces  as  it 


152  THE  GREAT  SHOW  IN  KOBOL-LAND. 

hurled  him  forward.  The  people's  eyes  could  scarcely  move  fast 
enough  to  follow  him.  The  judges  were  pale  with  excitement  as 
he  passed  their  stand,  and  then  high  on  the  blackboard,  where 
every  one  could  see  them,  were  inscribed  the  figures  1.59!. 

With  a  wild  yell  of  delight  the  whole  audience  prepared  to 
rush  toward  the  centaur,  and  in  a  moment  he  would  have  been 
embraced  and  perhaps  smothered  by  hundreds  of  enthusiastic 
spectators,  but  dashing  to  the  queen's  box  he  stopped  only  long 
enough  to  say : 

"  That,  your  majesty,  is  for  posterity  to  beat,"  and  then  gal- 
loped away  out  of  the  reach  of  the  roaring  multitude. 

The  Minister  of  Agriculture  had  been  watching  Millice,  and  was 
greatly  pleased  to  see  the  interest  she  had  taken  in  the  centaur. 

"  Things  go  even  better  than  I  thought  they  would,"  he  said 
to  himself  ;  "  it  could  hardly  be  expected  that  at  a  time  like  this, 
when  everything  is  in  such  a  lively  hubbub,  she  and  Atto  could 
have  a  chance  to  get  interested  in  each  other's  ideas  about  books 
and  education  ;  but  if  she  likes  the  trotting  of  that  man-horse, 
she  is  bound  to  care  ever  so  much  more  for  the  daring  and  cour- 
age of  a  prince  who  rides  a  bare-backed  griffin.  I  never  imagined 
that  Atto  would  have  such  a  chance  as  that  to  ingratiate  himself 
with  our  queen.  Truly,  I  am  having  most  excellent  luck." 

At  that  moment  Gromline  espied  the  griffin,  who,  with  his 
wings  folded,  was  hurrying  here  and  there  along  the  outskirts  of 
the  crowd,  evidently  looking  for  some  one. 

"  Do  you  know,"  said  the  monster,  coming  up  to  the  minister, 
"  where  I  can  find  Prince  Atto  ?  Our  great  mid-air  performance 
is  set  down  for  this  afternoon,  but  it  strikes  me  that  the  little 
coward  has  run  away.  But  I  must  find  him  if  I  can,  for  it  will  be 
a  great  thing  for  me  to  go  through  the  act  with  a  blooded  prince 
on  my  back." 


THE  GREAT  SHOW  IN  KOBOL-LAND.  153 

"  Indeed  it  will,"  said  Gromline,  "and  it  will  be  a  great  thing 
for  him,  too.      I  would  advise  you  by  no  means  to  perform  with 
out  him,  and  I  will  go  now  and  help  you  look  for  him." 

Prince  Atto  had  not  seen  much  of  the  performance  in  the 
arena,  for  he  had  been  busily  and  anxiously  engaged  endeavoring 
to  find  some  one  who  would  act  as  his  substitute  in  the  griffin 
performance.  Every  one  to  whom  he  made  the  proposal  declined 
with  the  greatest  promptness.  But  a  mischievous  imp  of  the  hot 
springs,  who  overheard  the  prince  endeavoring  to  bribe  an  afrit 
with  two  bunches  of  bananas,  offered  himself  as  a  rider,  and  said 
he  would  do  the  job  for  a  bottle  of  ink  and  a  squirt  gun  ;  but  Atto 
knew  the  griffin  would  never  accept  such  a  substitute  as  that,  and 
so,  in  great  perplexity  and  apprehension,  continued  his  search. 
He  would  have  been  glad  to  hide  himself  till  night  and  then  hurry 
back  to  his  home,  but  he  knew  this  would  not  help  him.  An  angry 
griffin  could  find  him  as  well  in  Nustyria  as  anywhere  else. 

Hurrying  on,  and  scarcely  knowing  where  he  was  going,  Atto 
found  himself  on  the  shores  of  a  lake,  and  moored  close  by  he 
saw  a  little  boat.  This  pleased  him  ;  he  was  tired  and  warm,  and 
to  float  over  the  smooth  water  would  rest  and  revive  him.  He 
had  not  gone  far  when  he  heard  the  sound  of  sweet  voices  sing- 
ing, and  the  music  of  harps.  Looking  in  the  direction  of  the 
sounds  he  saw  four  beautiful  sirens  on  the  top  of  some  high  rocks. 
Atto  was  fond  of  music,  and  rowed  near  the  rocks. 

As  Prince  Atto  approached  the  rocks,  the  sirens,  who  had  not 
seen  a  person  upon  the  lake  that  day,  everybody  having  gone  to 
the  show  and  the  races,  were  greatly  pleased  and  animated,  and 
they  sung  more  sweetly  and  touched  their  harps  more  melodiously. 
Atto,  who  had  given  up  all  hopes  of  finding  a  substitute,  and  ex- 
pected every  moment  to  hear  the  griffin  rushing  through  the  air  in 
quest  of  him,  thought  he  might  as  well  enjoy  himself  while  he  had 


154  THE  GREAT  SHOW  IN  KOBOL-LAND. 

3,  chance,  and  rested  on  his  oars  as  he  listened  to  this  charming 
music. 

But  this  did  not  suit  the  sirens.  They  wanted  him  to  come 
nearer,  so  that  his  boat  might  be  wrecked  upon  the  rocks.  They 
sung  the  most  delightful  love  songs,  in  which  they  called  him  by 
name,  and  tenderly  reproached  him  for  refusing  them  his  delight- 
ful society.  But  Atto  smiled,  and  shook  his  head.  He  had  read 
about  sirens  and  shipwrecked  sailors,  and  he  was  not  going  to 
be  caught  in  their  trap.  But  he  was  quite  willing  to  enjoy  what 
might  be  called  a  free  concert,  and  so  kept  at  a  safe  distance  and 
listened  with  great  satisfaction. 

After  a  time  the  fair  singers  perceived  that  their  songs  would 
never  lure  this  wary  youth  upon  the  rocks,  and  their  music  ceased. 
The  prince  now  began  to  row  away,  but  the  sirens  did  not  intend 
to  let  him  off  so  easily.  One  of  them  leaned  over  the  rocks,  and 
called  to  him. 

"  Fair  prince,"  said  she,  "  one  moment  stay,  we  pray  you.  We 
have  heard  of  your  great  learning  and  of  your  quick  wit,  and  we 
had  hoped,  by  our  songs,  to  draw  you  near  to  us,  so  that  we  might 
put  to  you  a  question  which  has  greatly  puzzled  us,  and  since  we 
have  first  heard  it,  has  kept  us  awake  night  after  night.  We  be- 
lieve you  to  be  the  only  one  in  all  this  region  who  can  solve  this 
problem  for  us,  and  we  humbly  pray  you  to  listen  to  it  and  give  us 
the  answer." 

This  interested  Prince  Atto.  He  was  proud  of  his  ability  to 
work  out  problems,  and  was  always  willing  to  show  it,  so  he  stopped 
and  then  rowed  a  little  nearer  to  the  rocks. 

"  What  do  you  want  to  know  ?  "  he  said  ;  "  speak  plainly,  and 
I  can  hear  it  at  this  distance." 

"  The  puzzle  we  wish  you  to  solve  for  us  is  this,"  said  the  siren 
who  had  before  spoken.  "  I  am  composed  of  four  parts,  but  repre- 


THE  GREAT  SHOW  IN  KOBOL-LAND.  155 

sent  one  thousand  five  hundred  rind  fifty-one  separate  portions. 
My  first  part  is  far  greater  than  the  other  three,  but  my  second 
is  as  good  as  any  one.  My  first  will  go  twice  as  far  as  my  last, 
twenty  times  as  far  as  my  third,  and  yet  my  second  can  see  farther 
than  all  the  rest  put  together.  My  third  is  the  square  root  of 
double  my  first,  plus  my  fourth.  My  whole  is  soft  and  gentle, 
and  yet  my  second  and  third  have  only  to  change  places,  and  there 
is  a  falsehood  in  my  very  centre." 

Atto's  eyes  sparkled  as  he  heard  this  puzzle. 

"That  is  truly  difficult,"  said  he,  "but  I  think  I  can  work  it 
out  for  you,"  and  so  saying  he  drew  in  his  oars,  and  took  a  piece 
of  paper  and  a  pencil  from  his  pocket. 

"  Tell  it  to  me  again,"  he  said  to  the  siren,  "  and  I  will  write  it 
down  ;  then  in  a  few  minutes  I  will  give  you  the  answer." 

The  siren  obeyed,  and  the  prince  went  to  work  on  the  puzzle. 
He  worked  and  worked  and  worked,  but  he  found  the  problem  a 
good  deal  harder  than  he  had  expected  it  to  be,  and  the  time 
passed  rapidly  without  his  knowing  it.  As  he  sat  completely 
absorbed  in  his  occupation,  one  of  the  sirens  took  the  wire  strings 
from  her  harp  and,  after  fastening  them  together,  made  a  little 
hook  in  one  end  of  this  cord,  which  she  deftly  threw  into  the  bow 
of  the  boat  without  Atto  perceiving  it.  Then,  very  gently,  she 
began  to  pull  him  toward  the  rocks,  the  other  sirens  breathlessly 
watching  her  operations.  If  they  could  wreck  and  drown  the 
prince,  it  would  be  the  rarest  fun  for  them. 

The  slender  cord  was  drawn  in  so  gradually  that  Atto  did  not 
feel  the  motion  of  the  boat,  which  slowly  but  surely  approached 
some  sharp  points  of  rock,  which  could  not  fail  to  penetrate  the 
delicate  and  fragile  bottom  of  this  Iktle  bark. 

But  the  sport  of  the  sirens  was  not  unobserved  ;  the  company  of 
dryads  who  had  taken  up  their  quarters  in  the  oak  grove  near 


156  THE  GREAT  SHOW  IN  KOBOL-LAND. 

by,  and  who  had  not  ventured  among  the  crowds  at  the  races, 
although  they  had  all  seen  the  flower  show,  had  watched  with 
much  interest  the  solitary  boatman  on  the  lake  and  had  been 
greatly  concerned  for  his  safety  when  they  found  that  the  sirens 
were  endeavoring  to  allure  him  to  destruction.  It  had  delighted 
them  to  see  that  the  prince  was  aware  of  his  danger,  and  that  he 
prudently  kept  away  from  the  rocks  ;  but  now  that  the  sirens  were 
taking  an  undue  advantage  of  him  the  dryads  grew  very  angry, 
and  gliding  gently  between  the  trees  they  approached  the  shore. 

The  siren  had  now  drawn  the  boat  so  near  the  points  of  rock 
that  a  strong  jerk  would  knock  it  against  them,  and  her  eyes  and 
those  of  her,  sisters  were  glistening  with  the  anticipation  of  the 
delightful  scene  which  would  follow.  But  one  of  the  dryads,  run- 
ning ahead  of  the  others,  sprang  behind  the  siren  who  held  the 
cord,  and  gave  her  a  vigorous  push,  which  sent  her  headlong  into 
the  water. 

Atto,  startled  by  the  great  splash,  turned  quickly,  and  imagin- 
ing that  the  sirens  were  jumping  into  the  lake  to  capture  him  by 
main  force,  he  seized  the  oars  and  pulled  rapidly  to  a  safe  distance, 
and  then  stopped. 

.  "  Heigho  !"  he  cried,  as  the  unfortunate  siren  rose  to  the  sur- 
face, and  began  to  swim  toward  the  shore  ;  "  what  is  the  meaning 
of  all  this?" 

The  sirens  themselves  scarcely  knew  what  had  happened,  for 
every  dryad  was  now  behind  a  tree ;  but  they  called  to  the  prince 
that  he  need  not  be  frightened  ;  one  of  their  sisters  had  accidentally 
fallen  into  the  water,  that  was  all,  and  they  besought  him  to 
come  back,  and  tell  them  the  answer  to  the  puzzle.  But  Atto 
believed  that  the  siren  had  tried  to  jump  into  his  boat,  and  he 
would  not  again  approach  the  rocks.  Turning  around  he  began  to 
row  toward  the  place  where  he  had  found  the  boat. 


THE  GREAT  SHOW  IN  KOBOL-LAND.  157 

"  Come  back,  come  back,"  the  sirens  screamed  angrily  after 
him,  *'  and  tell  us  the  answer  to  our  puzzle.  You  have  no  right  to 
cheat  us  of  it."  Atto  stopped  rowing  for  a  moment,  and  called 
back. 

"  I  have  the  answer,"  he  cried,  "  and  it  is  very  different  from 
you,  for  it  is  the  word  '  mild,'  and  you  are  anything  but  mild,"  and 
laughing  at  them  he  quickly  pulled  ashore. 

It  was  dark  when  Prince  Atto  reached  his  tent. 

"  Those  sirens  were  really  of  great  service  to  me,"  he  said  to 
himself,  "  for  not  only  did  they  give  me  a  very  interesting  puzzle, 
but  they  kept  me  out  of  the  way  till  the  games  were  over.  I  sup- 
pose the  griffin  found  some  one  else  to  ride  him,  and  I  hope  he 
has  forgotten  all  about  me." 

That  evening  there  was  a  grand  display  of  fireworks,  and  this 
consisted  entirely  of  the  performance  of  ten  or  twelve  fiery  dragons, 
who  flew  through  the  air  around  and  around,  darting  upward  and 
downward  and  in  every  direction,  all  the  time  shooting  showers 
of  sparks  and  jets  of  flame  from  their  nostrils,  while  their  red-hot 
tails  described  fantastic  figures  in  the  air.  It  was  a  great  scene. 
The  whole  Dimmer-Glade  was  lighted  up  by  the  sparks  and  flames 
of  the  swooping,  snorting  monsters  as  they  circled  overhead. 

Everybody  was  out  of  doors,  and  Prince  Atto  stood  by  his  tent, 
greatly  impressed  by  the  exhibition.  Presently  he  heard  his  name 
called,  and  turning  his  eyes  from  the  sky  to  the  earth,  he  beheld 
the  griffin  standing  by  him. 

"Fine  show,  isn't  it  ?"  said  the  winged  creature.  "  It's  a  great 
success,  and  they  are  going  to  do  it  again  to-morrow  night.  That 
big  dragon  up  there,  the  one  whose  tail  glows  brightest,  and  who 
shoots  sparks  in  every  direction  at  once,  will  vary  the  performance 
to-morrow  by  carrying  a  man  on  his  back.  The  man  is  to  hold  a 
great  bouquet,  and  the  dragon  will  keep  the  flowers  lighted  up  all 
ii 


158  THE   GREAT  SHOW  IN  KOBOL-LAND. 

the  time  he  is  flying.  I  have  recommended  you  for  the  rider.  It 
is  a  great  idea.  A  prince  on  a  firework !  Such  a  thing  was  never 
seen  before,  and  will  probably  never  be  seen  again." 

Atto  could  not  say  a  word.  A  chill  went  down  his  back,  and 
his  legs  gave  way  beneath  him,  so  that  he  sat  suddenly  upon  the 
ground. 

"  Of  course,"  continued  the  griffin,  "  if  you  should  perform 
your  bare-backed  feat  with  me  to-morrow  afternoon  you  would  be 
too  tired  to  ride  the  dragon  in  the  evening,  and  it  would  not  be 
expected  of  you." 

"  Didn't  you  perform  to-day  ?  "  gasped  Atto. 

"  Oh,  no,"  replied  the  griffin  <l  I  wouldn't  be  so  mean  as  to  go 
through  that  act  without  you,  unless  you  would  prefer  the  evening 
performance." 

"  Oh,  no,  no,  no  ! "  cried  Atto,  "  I  would  rather  ride  you.  I  pre- 
fer that,  I  assure  you." 

kt  Very  well,  then,"  said  the  griffin,  "  be  ready  at  five  o'clock." 

The  next  morning  Atto  met  Gromline,  and  told  him  what  had 
happened. 

"  I  beg  you  will  not  trifle  with  that  griffin  again,"  said  the  Min- 
ister. "  I  never  saw  such  an  angry  monster  as  he  was  yesterday 
afternoon,  when  it  became  necessary  to  postpone  his  act,  because 
you  could  not  be  found.  If  I  had  not  pacified  him  by  ordering 
the  judges  of  the  flower  show  to  give  him  a  first  prize  for  his 
chrysanthemum,  there  is  no  knowing  what  violent  act  he  might 
have  committed,  so  do  not  fail  to  be  on  hand  to-day." 

"  You  may  be  sure  I  shall  not,"  Atto  answered,  dolefully.  "  He 
spoke  gently  to  me,  but  I  could  see  the  fire  in  his  eyes." 

During  the  morning  Queen  Millice  again  visited  the  flower 
show,  where  she  met  King  Chamian,  who  was  selecting  a  bouquet 
for  the  Princess  Lista. 


THE  GREAT  SHOW  IN  KOBOL-LAND.  159 

"Are  you  going  to  take  part  in  the  sports  to-day  ?"  she  asked 
him. 

"  Oh,  yes,"  he  replied,  "  this  afternoon  is  to  be  devoted  to  games 
of  strength  and  agility." 

"  If  you  do  engage  in  these  contests,"  said  Millice,  "  I  hope 
you  will  not  allow  yourself  to  be  beaten.  You  rode  well  yesterday, 
but  I  did  not  like  to  see  you  come  in  second  best." 

"  Why,  cousin  ! "  exclaimed  Chamian,  "  I  did  not  suppose  you 
cared  for  such  things." 

"  I  care  very  much  for  the  honor  of  the  family,"  said  the  young 
queen. 

Shortly  afterward  Millice  encountered  Atto.  He  was  in  low 
spirits,  but  he  brightened  up  a  little  when  he  saw  her. 

"  I  have  a  puzzle  which  I  will  put  to  you,"  said  he ;  "I  know 
you  like  puzzles,  and  this  is  a  fresh  one  which  I  heard  yesterday  ; " 
and  then  he  went  on,  and  told  her  the  siren's  puzzle. 

Queen  Millice  was  much  interested,  and  asking  Atto  to  repeat 
the  puzzle,  she  sat  down  to  solve  it.  In  about  fifteen  minutes  she 
succeeded. 

"  That  is  an  excellent  puzzle,"  said  she;  "do  you  know  any 
more  as  good  as  it  is  ?  " 

"  Oh,  yes,"  said  Atto,  "  I  have  at  least  a  dozen  of  them  in  a 
little  book.  I  will  bring  it,  and  read  them  to  you." 

"  I  shall  like  that,"  said  Millice.  "  I  do  not  think  I  shall  care 
for  the  game  this  afternoon,  and  if  you  will  bring  your  book  to  my 
pavilion  I  will  try  and  work  out  some  of  the  puzzles." 

Atto  sighed.  "  I  am  afraid  I  cannot  be  with  you  at  that  time," 
he  said  ;  "  I  perform  myself  this  afternoon.  I  ride  a  griffin  bare- 
back." 

"  You  !"  exclaimed  Millice.  "  Is  it  possible  that  you  not  only 
devote  yourself  to  intellectual  pursuits  but  to  physical  exercises?" 


j6o  THE   GREAT  SHOW  IN  KOBOL-LAND. 


"Oh,  yes,"  said  Atto,  straightening  himself,  and  putting  on  an 
air  of  conscious  merit ;  "  I  give  preference  to  the  perfection  of  my 
mental  powers,  but  as  a  matter  of  course,  I  do  not  neglect  my 
physical  development.  However,  I  never  forget  that  I  am  a 
prince,  and  when  I  perform  in  public,  I  choose  an  act  which  no 
one  but  myself  would  dare  undertake." 

As  the  young  queen  walked  back  to  her  tent  she  could  not 
help  cbmparing  Chamian  and  Atto.  Here  was  her  cousin,  caring 
only  for  bodily  exercises,  taking  part  in  games  with  low-born  com- 
petitors, and  worse  than  all,  coming  out  second  best.  On  the 
other  hand,  Atto  was  not  only  a  prince  of  intellect,  but  a  man  of 
most  daring  courage,  willing  to  undertake  an  unheard-of  feat.  In 
these  reflections  she  quite  forgot  the  incident  of  the  cup-of-tea 
plant. 

The  first  part  of  the  afternoon  was  devoted  to  athletic  games, 
such  as  vaulting,  long  jumps,  high  jumps,  trapeze,  tight-rope  per- 
formances and  other  gymnastic  acts.  In  several  of  these  King 
Chamian  took  part,  and  each  time  he  entered  the  arena  he  looked 
at  the  box  of  Queen  Millice  to  see  if  she  were  observing  him.  It 
was  not  necessary  for  him  to  look  at  his  own  box,  in  which  Lista 
sat.  She  watched  everything,  and  was  generally  more  excited  and 
clapped  her  hands  louder  than  anybody  elsec  The  young  king 
was  determined  that,  if  he  could  help  it,  Millice  should  not  see  him 
come  out  second  best  again.  He  had  never  before  given  any 
thought  to  her  opinion,  for  he  had  never  before  had  reason  to 
suppose kshe  cared  whether  he  succeeded  or  failed  in  anything. 

Thus  animated,  Chamian  vaulted  higher  than  anybody  else, 
not  a  Kobol-lander,  and  in  hurling  a  javelin  at  a  mark  he  surpassed 
all  competitors.  Lista  loudly  applauded  his  success,  and  wanted 
to  go  into  the  arena  and  hurl  a  javelin  herself,  but  he  dissuaded 
her. 


THE   GREAT  SHOW  IN  KOBOL-LAND. 


161 


There  was  then  a  grand  fencing  match,  in  which  a  unicorn 
entered  the  ring  and  challenged  all  comers. 

After  this  spirited  animal,  with  his  long,  tapering  horn,  had  dis- 
concerted some  of  the  best  swordsmen  of  Nustyria  and  Tanobar, 
King  Chamian  entered  the  lists  against  him,  and  by  the  rapid  and 
skilful  play  of  his  stout  blade  not  only  warded  off  all  the  attacks 
of  the  unicorn,  but  at  last  forced  him  to  turn  tail  and  fly.  At  this 


DUEL    BETWEEN    THE    KING    AND    THE    UNICORN. 

victory  Queen  Millice  stood  up,  clapped  her  hands  and  waved  her 
handkerchief.      That  was  a  contest  fit  for  a  king. 

In  some  of  the  games  Chamian  took  no  part,  and  throwing  the 
great  hammer  was  one  of  these.  There  were  many  competitors  en- 
tered in  this  game,  but  they  did  not  all  have  a  chance,  for  the  giant 
Jirg  swung  and  hurled  the  hammer  with  such  force  that  it  flew  as 
far  as  the  lake  where  the  sirens  sang,  and  then  descended  into  the 
water  with  such  a  tremendous  splash  that  the  four  sisters  on  the 


162  THE   GREAT  SHOW  IN  KOBOL-LAND. 


rocks  were  nearly  frightened  out  of  their  wits,  and  the  dryads  in 
the  grove  above,  who  ran  out  from  their  tree  trunks  when  they 
heard  the  great  noise,  were  all  well  wet  by  the  descending  shower 
of  drops. 

The  tug  of  war  next  followed,  in  which  a  great  number  of 
Kobol-landers  took  hold  of  one  end  of  a  long  cable,  and  the 
athletes  from  Tanobar  and  Nustyria  grasped  the  other.  As  this 
was  a  sort  of  international  contest  everybody  was  wildly  excited 
over  it.  The  Kobol-landers  would,  undoubtedly,  have  won  the 
victory  had  it  not  been  for  the  bright  thought  of  a  judge  from 
Tanobar,  who,  seeing  how  matters  were  likely  to  go,  hastily  made 
out  naturalization  papers  for  three  wild  giants  who  had  just  arrived, 
and  were  standing  among  the  spectators.  When  these  great  hairy 
fellows  became  citizens  of  Tanobar  and  seized  the  end  of  the  rope 
the  struggling  mass  of  Kobol-landers  were  dragged  over  the  divid- 
ing line  in  less  that  twenty  seconds.  It  is  needless  to  say  that  this 
judge  obtained  preferment. 

When  this  exciting  contest  had  been  finished  a  mounted  herald, 
clad  in  crimson  and  gold,  rode  into  the  arena,  and  after  blowing  his 
trumpet,  proclaimed  in  a  loud  voice  that  the  sports  of  the  day 
would  conclude  with  a  grand  performance  in  mid-air,  in  which  the 
valiant  and  fearless  Prince  Atto  of  Nustyria  would  ride  a  bareback 
griffin.  This  announcement  created  a  great  sensation,  for  no  one 
who  knew  Prince  Atto  had  supposed  that  he  was  a  man  who  would 
undertake  such  an  unheard-of  feat. 

The  prince  now  entered  the  arena,  and  bowed  to  the  ladies  in 
the  two  royal  boxes.  Then  he  approached  Queen  Millice,  and 
asked  her  if  he  had  her  good  wishes  in  his  present  perilous  .feat. 
He  looked  bold  and  determined  enough,  for  Gromline  had  been 
with  him  all  the  morning,  assuring  him  that  it  would  be  the  easiest 
thing  in  the  world  to  ride  a  quiet,  careful  griffin,  who  would  assist 


THE  GREAT  SHOW  IN  KOBOL-LAND.  163 

him  in  every  possible  way  to  keep  his  position,  and  to  feel  at  ease ; 
and  the  minister  had,  furthermore,  fortified  and  encouraged  him  by 
an  excellent  luncheon,  composed  entirely  of  Cosmic  Beans,  cooked 
and  prepared  in  many  different  ways.  The  queen  was  pleased  with 
his  brave  appearance,  and  gave  him  a  silken  scarf  to  wear  as  a 
token  of  her  interest. 

Now  the  sound  of  great  wings  was  heard,  and  the  griffin, 
swooping  through  the  air,  came  down  to  the  ground  in  front  of  the 
royal  boxes.  Then,  curling  his  tail  high  over  his  back,  he  informed 
Prince  Atto  that  he  was  ready  to  begin  the  act.  Without  hesita- 
tion the  young  man  stepped  on  the  horny  back  of  the  monster,  and 
stood  upright,  steadying  himself  by  holding  fast  to  the  stiffened  tail. 

Slowly  uprose  the  great  griffin  into  the  air,  Prince  Atto  stand- 
ing upright  on  his  back.  This  was  not  a  difficult  feat,  nor  an 
unsafe  one,  so  long  as  the  griffin's  tail,  by  which  Atto  steadied 
himself,  remained  stifBy  in  position.  As  the  first  gentle  circle 
above  the  arena  was  made,  Atto  looked  a  little  pale,  but  he  felt 
that  his  position  was  secure,  and  bowed  and  smiled  as  shouts  of 
applause  came  up  from  the  great  multitude. 

This  griffin  was  a  monster  of  a  very  hot  and  revengeful  disposi- 
tion, and  his  anger  against  Atto  for  deserting  him  and  preventing 
his  performance  on  the  first  day  had  not  in  the  least  cooled,  and 
although  his  manner  toward  the  young  man  had  been  very  mild, 
he  had  determined  that,  during  this  act,  he  would  punish  him  for 
his  treachery. 

On  the  second  grand  tour,  during  which  the  griffin  flew  much 
more  rapidly  than  before,  his  tail  was  raised  higher  in  the  air,  so 
that  Atto,  still  clinging  to  it,  was  obliged  to  stand  on  the  tips  of 
his  toes.  The  prince  shouted  to  the  griffin  to  lower  his  tail,  but 
the  latter  paid  no  attention  to  him,  but  flew  faster  and  faster,  dart- 
ing upward  and  downward  and  from  one  side  to  the  other. 


164  THE  GREAT  SHOW  IN  KOBOL-LAND. 

Now  the  tail  was  stuck  perpendicularly  upward,  and  Atto  clung 
to  it,  as  he  would  to  the  mast  of  a  tossing  ship.  Then,  without 
the  least  warning,  and  in  the  midst  of  a  wild  swoop,  the  tail  went 
straight  out  behind,  and  Atto  found  himself  hanging  beneath  it,  his 
legs  and  arms  turned  about  it,  as  if  it  had  been  a  horizontal  bar 
in  a  gymnasium. 

Nearly  frightened  out  of  his  wits,  the  young  prince  began  to 
shout  for  help,  and  as  he  did  so  the  griffin  swung  his  tail  from 
right  to  left,  and  sometimes  dipped  it  downward,  so  that  Atto's 
feet  were  higher  than  his  head.  The  flights  became  swifter  and 
wilder  than  before,  and  mounting  high  into  the  air,  the  griffin  sud- 
denly dropped  downward  as  if  he  would  strike  the  earth,  but  before 
reaching  it,  rose  again  with  a  great  swoop  and  recommenced  his 
mad  gyrations  above  the  people's  heads. 

During  this  astounding  and  blood-thrilling  performance  every 
breath  was  held  and  every  heart  beat  fast.  Even  the  flying 
monsters  of  Kobol-land  had  never  known  of  anything  like  this. 
Every  one  was  wild  with  admiration  at  Atto's  amazing  strength 
and  courage.  His  cries  had  been  heard,  but  it  was  supposed  that 
he  was  shouting  to  his  steed  and  urging  him  to  swifter  speed.  But 
the  griffin  did  not  intend  that  Atto  should  get  any  credit  for  his 
performance.  He  understood  the  applause,  and  having  thoroughly 
frightened  the  prince,  he  proceeded  to  let  the  public  know  what 
sort  of  a  man  this  bold  rider  really  was. 

He  curled  up  his  tail  so  that  Atto  was  able  to  scramble  on  his 
back  and  sit  astride  of  him  ;  then  he  sailed  slowly  around  the 
arena  not  very  far  above  the  heads  of  the  spectators.  Atto  now 
began  to  cry  piteously  for  help.  He  besought  the  king,  the  queen, 
Lista,  anybody,  to  stop  the  monster  and  take  him  down.  He  de- 
clared that  he  had  not  wanted  to  do  this  thing,  that  he  had  been 
forced  into  it,  and  if  the  griffin  began  again  to  rush  through  the 


THE   GREAT  SHOW  IN  KOBOL-LAND. 


165 


air  he  should  certainly  fall  to  the  ground  and  be  killed.  He  wiped 
his  weeping  eyes  with  the  scarf  Millice  had  given  him,  and  when 
it  was  thoroughly  wet  he  threw  it  to  the  ground. 

Many  of  the  spectators  pitied  the  prince,  but  more  laughed  at 


PRINCE    ATTO    TAKES    A    RIDE    WITH    THE    GRIFFIN. 

him.     The  Kobol-landers  were  delighted  ;  here  was  a  grand  victory 
by  one  of  themselves  over  a  human  being  of  high  degree. 

But  the  griffin  was  resolved  that  Atto  should  not  even  be 
pitied.  Presently  a  young  dragon  came  toward  him,  bearing  a 
large  banner  with  an  inscription  upon  it.  This  the  monster  took 


166  THE  GREAT  SHOW  IN  KOBOL-LAND. 

in  his  fore-paws,  and  holding  it  high  over  his  head,  continued 
his  slow  course.  The  inscription,  in  great  black  letters,  read  as 
follows  : 

"  The  fellow  on  my  back  has  been  punished  for  playing  false 
with  a  griffin  and  trying  to  cheat  a  gardener." 

As  nearly  all  the  people  of  Tanobar  and  Nustyria  were  inter- 
ested in  gardening  and  gardeners,  and  as  all  the  inhabitants  of 
Kobol-land  sympathized  with  griffins,  a  yell  of  derision  arose  from 
the  crowd.  But  Atto  paid  little  attention  to  this,  nor  did  he  even 
look  upward  to  read  the  inscription.  All  he  cared  for  was  to  get 
down  from  the  griffin's  back,  and  he  continued  to  weep  and  beg 
and  pray  that  some  man,  woman,  giant,  or  even  gnome  or  fairy, 
would  take  pity  on  him. 

Now  uprose  Queen  Millice,  and  as  the  flying  monster  passed 
near  her,  she  cried  out  to  him : 

"  Good  griffin,  he  has  had  enough  of  punishment.  I  beg  that 
you  will  take  him  to  his  tent  and  leave  him  there." 

At  these  words  the  griffin  turned,  and  Atto  began  to  pour  out 
thanks  to  the  young  queen,  but  she  did  not  so  much  as  look  at 
him,  and  the  griffin  carried  him  to  his  tent  and  dumped  him  off  at 
the  door. 

The  griffin's  performance  was  much  enjoyed  by  those  people  of 
Tanobar  who  had  a  contempt  for  Nustyrians,  by  those  Nustyrians 
who  had  a  contempt  for  Atto,  and  by  those  Kobol-landers  who  had 
a  contempt  for  human  beings. 

The  entertainment  of  the  next  afternoon  began  with  something 
of  a  totally  different  character  from  the  griffin  act.  This  was  a 
spelling  bee,  and  the  judges  were  a  learned  man,  a  wizard,  and  the 
Queen  of  the  Fairies.  As  Millice  had  done  nothing  so  far,  she 
thought  it  but  right  that  she  should  enter  this  contest.  Chamian 
and  Lista  were  also  among  the  competitors,  as  well  as  many  per- 


THE   GREAT  SHOW  IN  KOBOL-LAND. 


167 


sons  attached  to  the  courts  of  the  two  countries,  and  a  miscella- 
neous lot  of  Kobol-landers. 

The  words  given  out  by  the  judges  were  generally  very  odd 
and  unusual  ones,  and  a  good  deal  of  the  spelling  of  the  competi- 


THE  JUDGES  OF  THE  GAMES. 

tors  was  even  more  odd  and  unusual.  All  the  afrits,  gnomes, 
dragons,  genii,  and  other  inhabitants  of  Kobol-land  spoke  the 
languages  of  the  adjoining  countries.  For  if  these  strange  and 
semi-natural  creatures  could  not  use  and  comprehend  the  speech 
of  man,  they  would  lose  a  greater  part  of  the  interest  which  has 


168  THE  GREAT  SHOW  IN  KOBOL-LAND. 

always  attached  to  them,  but  as  few  of  them  knew  anything  about 
reading  or  writing  their  ideas  of  spelling  were  mystical  and  vague. 

When  a  goat-legged  satyr  spelled  "  supersapient "  as  a  word  of 
two  letters  beginning  and  ending  with  y,  and  when  a  bottle-green 
imp,  perched  on  the  shoulders  of  a  giant  in  order  that  he  might 
see  and  be  seen,  spelled  "  gormandizer  "  with  the  figures  i,  8,  4,  3, 
it  was  plain  that  they  knew  what  they  wanted  to  spell  if  they  did 
not  know  how  to  do  it. 

King  Chamian  did  very  well,  although  he  failed  on  some  five- 
syllabled  word,  but  Lista  spelled  "  euphemistic  "  youphumistick,  and 
when  the  judges,  seeing  she  was  not  at  home  in  this  class  of  words, 
gave  her  "  saddle,"  she  spelled  it  with  one  d,  and  the  e  where  the  / 
ought  to  be. 

Queen  Millice  was  by  all  odds  the  best  speller  on  the  grounds, 
and  the  audience  became  quite  enthusiastic  at  her  success  with 
every  word  given  her,  no  matter  how  hard  it  was,  or  how  many 
had  failed  before  her.  Even  "  rodomontade  "  she  spelled  without 
an  h,  although  "  rhododendron  "  had  been  given  out  a  little  while 
before. 

When  Prince  Atto,  who  had  not  shown  himself  since  his  griffin 
act,  heard  there  was  to  be  a  spelling  bee,  he  was  anxious  to  take 
part,  for  he  was  very  proud  of  his  abilities  as  a  speller ;  and  feeling 
that  he  might  now  regain  some  of  the  reputation  he  had  lost  the 
day  before,  he  ventured  into  the  arena.  He  had  changed  his 
clothes  and  was  not  recognized  by  the  greater  part  of  the  crowd, 
but  the  judges  knew  him  and  they  gave  him  the  hardest  words 
they  could  think  of.  However,  they  found  no  fault  with  his  spell- 
ing until  he  came  to  the  word  "  xylophagan,"  and  then  the  Queen 
of  the  Fairies  cried  out,  "Wrong,  he  should  spell  it  with  a  z" 

"  1  beg  your  pardon,"  said  the  learned  man,  "but  if  I  am  not 
mistaken  the  word  begins  with  an  xt  as  he  spelled  it." 


THE  GREAT  SHOW  IN  KOBOL-LAND.  169 

"  Nonsense,"  exclaimed  the  Fairy  Queen,  whose  face  had  begun 
to  glow  with  indignation  the  moment  she  had  perceived  Atto,  "you 
need  not  try  to  make  me  believe  that  a  cowardly  cheat  such  as  that 
fellow  understands  spelling  better  than  I  do.  No  one  can  hear  the 
word  without  knowing  that  it  begins  with  a  z.  What  say  you, 
wizard  ?  " 

The  wizard,  who  knew  on  which  side  his  bread  was  buttered, 
replied  to  the  Fairy  Queen  that  he  agreed  with  her  perfectly. 
The  learned  man,  with  two  against  him,  could  do  no  more,  and  Atto 
was  told  to  sit  down. 

The  athletic  games  ended  with  a  grand  football  match,  in  which 
there  were  hundreds  of  players.  The  contest  was  very  exciting, 
and  Lista  became  so  wildly  enthusiastic  that  she  fairly  scolded 
Chamian  for  not  joining  in  this  grand  sport. 

"  Oh,  if  I  were  only  a  man,"  she  cried,  "  I  should  show  you  how 
I  could  kick." 

But  Chamian  did  not  care  to  take  part  in  this  game.  He  had 
begun  to  think  more  of  his  dignity,  and  therefore  restrained  his 
inclination  to  enter  the  rough-and-tumble  scramble  in  the  arena. 
During  the  applause  which  followed  the  exploits  of  a  jet-black 
centaur,  with  a  curly  head  and  enormous  hind  hoofs,  Chamian 
left  Lista  and  went  to  the  pavilion  of  Millice.  He  learned  that 
she  had  left  the  arena  and  gone  to  see  the  last  of  the  flower 
show.  Joining  her  there,  he  found  her  in  conversation  with  the 
griffin. 

"  Yes,"  the  monster  was  saying,  "  you  are  the  only  person  in 
all  that  crowd  who  had  the  courage  to  speak  to  me  and  ask  me  to 
stop  tormenting  that  poor  rascal,  and  in  order  to  show  you  how  I 
appreciate  your  brave  spirit  I  am  going  to  give  you  my  prize 
chrysanthemum,"  and  he  thereupon  presented  her  with  the  great 
plant  covered  with  its  fiery  and  sparkling  flowers. 


THE  GREAT  SHOW  IN  KOBOL-LAND. 


When  the  monster  had  left,  Chamian  and  Millice  walked 
together  through  the  beautiful  passageways,  and  he  congratulated 
her  on  her  victory  at  the  spelling  bee. 

"  It  must  be  ever  so  much  harder,"  he  said,  "  to  spell  the  words 
they  gave  you  than  to  fence  with  a  unicorn." 


ATHLETES    AT    THE    GAMES. 

Just  then  they  came  to  the  cup-of-tea  plant,  which  Chamian 
had  not  before  noticed.  Millice  wanted  some  tea,  and  stopping, 
she  broke  off  and  filled  two  blossoms,  one  of  which  she  handed  to 
Chamian.  The  king  sipped  it,  and  declared  that  as  a  rule  he  did 
not  care  for  tea,  but  that  this  was  delicious. 

Not  far  away  the  sorcerer  stood,  watching  the  young  couple, 


THE  GREAT  SHOW  IN  KOBOL-LAND.  171 

and  as  he  watched,  he  smiled  more  and  more.  Presently  he  sum- 
moned his  body  servant. 

"  Graglick,"  he  said,  "  measure  my  grin." 

Taking  a  tape  measure  from  his  pocket,  the  servant  obeyed. 

"  Master,"  he  said,  "  it  is  nine  and  a  half  inches  long." 

"  I  thought  things  would  turn  out  in  that  way,"  the  sorcerer 
said  to  himself,  "  if  they  were  brought  together  away  from  home." 

When  Millice  had  retired  to  her  tent,  Chamian  said  to  the 
gardener : 

"  I  wish  to  buy  this  cup-of-tea  plant,  and  make  it  a  present  to 
the  queen.  Send  it  to  the  palace,  and  I  will  pay  you  your  price." 

That  evening  the  exhibition  was  pronounced  closed,  and  every 
road  was  covered  with  the  visitors  returning  to  their  homes,  all 
delighted  with  the  success  of  the  great  show  in  Kobol-land. 

At  daybreak  Lista  mounted  her  wicked  mare,  and  set  off  for 
home  at  full  speed,  soon  outstripping  her  attendants,  as  was  her 
custom.  In  the  course  of  the  morning  she  overtook  Atto,  on  his 
elephant.  He  had  left  the  Dimmer-Glade  in  the  night,  and  was 
now  reclining  on  his  cushioned  platform  studying  a  book  of  loga- 
rithms. Lista  pulled  up  her  horse. 

11  Heigho,  Miss  Atto,"  she  cried,  "  going  home,  are  you,  to  show 
your  papa  and  mamma  the  prize  you  took  in  the  great  griffin  act  ?w 

Atto  turned  slowly  over  and  looked  down  at  her. 

"  Where  is  your  great  prize  ?"  he  said  ;  "  I  don't  see  him  any- 
where. Did  you  ride  so  fast  that  you  left  him  behind  you  ?  " 

"  What  prize  do  you  mean  ?  "  asked  Lista,  sharply. 

"  I  mean  the  King  of  Tanobar,"  replied  Atto. 

Lista  turned  red  in  the  face  and  shook  her  whip  at  Atto,  and 
then,  too  angry  to  say  a  word,  she  dashed  away. 

Two  days  after  his  return  King  Chamian  left  his  apartments 
in  the  royal  palace,  and  walked  to  the  other  end  of  the  splendid 


172  THE  GREAT  SHOW  IN  KOBOL-LAND. 

building  to  visit  Millice,  which  was  a  very  unusual  thing  for  him 
to  do. 

"  Cousin,"  he  said,  when  they  were  together,  "  do  you  not  think 
it  would  be  well  if  this  kingdom  should  have  but  one  throne,  and 
that  we  both  should  sit  upon  it  ?  " 

The  young  queen  played  with  her  fan. 

"  Do  you  think  it  could  be  made  wide  enough  ?  "  she  asked. 

"  Oh,  I  will  see  to  that,"  he  exclaimed. 

"  And  we  shall  each  wear  the  crown  we  inherited  ?"  said  she. 

"  Indeed  we  shall,"  he  cried,  "  and  you  shall  be  doubly  queen — 
queen  as  my  wife,  and  queen  as  your  father's  child." 

The  eyes  of  Millice  sparkled  as  she  looked  upon  the  noble  and 
glowing  face  of  Chamian. 

"  And  you  shall  be  the  king  that  you  are,"  she  said,  "  and  my 
king  besides." 

When  it  was  proclaimed  that  Millice  and  Chamian  were  to 
marry,  and  that  there  was  to  be  but  one  royal  family  in  Tanobar, 
the  joy  of  the  people  knew  no  bounds.  But  in  the  midst  of  the 
universal  happiness  the  Minister  of  Agriculture  stood  shocked  and 
downcast.  He  had  not  expected  this  blow — but  he  was  a  man  of 
action,  and  he  felt  that  if  he  made  any  hay  at  all  he  must  do  it 
while  the  sun  yet  shone,  so  he  hastened  to  the  king. 

"  Your  majesty,"  said  he,  "  as  a  proof  of  my  rapturous  delight 
on  this  glad  day  I  wish  to  offer  you  the  best  I  have — the  result  of 
my  life's  most  earnest  labors.  I  give  to  you  my  Cosmic  Bean.  It 
gained  four  first  prizes  at  the  great  show,  and  its  value  is  now 
undoubted.  Take  it,  my  king !  Through  you  I  give  it  to  my 
country." 

"  How  many  plants  have  you  ?"  asked  the  king. 

"  I  have  twenty,"  answered  Gromline  ;  "  they  are  here  in  these 
pots,  which  my  servants  have  brought  you." 


THE   GREAT  SHOW  IN  KOBOL-LAND.  173 

"  And  have  you  any  seeds  or  slips  besides  ?  "  inquired  Chamian. 

"None,  your  majesty,"  said  the  minister,  "but  there  are  pods 
there  which  will  soon  be  ripe,  and  you  will  have  seeds  enough  to 
spread  broadcast  over  the  kingdom." 

"  Very  good,"  said  Chamian.     "  I  accept  your  gift." 

When  the  king  next  saw  Millice,  he  found  her  admiring  her 
chrysanthemum  and  her  cup-of-tea  plant. 

"I,  too,  have  had  a  horticultural  present,"  he  said,  and  he  told 
her  of  Gromline's  gift  of  the  Cosmic  Bean. 

"  That  is  the  plant  which  will  make  it  unnecessary  for  people 
to  work,  is  it  not  ?  "  she  asked., 

"Yes,"  he  said,  "and  I  want  to  consult  you  as  to  what  shall  be 
done  with  it." 

"  It  is  my  opinion,"  said  Millice,  "  that  if  we  do  not  wish  to  be 
king  and  queen  of  Lazyland,  it  will  be  well  to  utterly  destroy  this 
plant.  For  if  no  one  need  work,  no  one  would  work,  and  in  the 
course  of  time  we  should  become  as  cattle,  and  live  on  beans  as 
they  live  on  grass." 

"  You  speak  well,"  said  the  king,  "  and  I  agree  with  you  en- 
tirely." And  he  ordered  the  twenty  plants  of  the  Cosmic  Bean, 
pots  and  all,  to  be  cast  into  a  furnace  and  burned  up. 

Shortly  after  this  had  been  done  the  sorcerer  called  on  the 
Minister  of  Agriculture  and  found  him  in  a  very  angry  mood,  and 
engaged  in  packing  up  his  goods  and  chattels. 

"  I  am  going  to  leave  this  wretched  country,"  said  Gromline ; 
"everything  has  gone  wrong.  Your  advice  about  getting  up  the 
great  show  in  Kobol-land  was  worse  than  worthless,  and  you  ought 
to  repay  me  the  seventy  sequins  I  gave  you  for  it." 

"  I  don't  do  business  in  that  way,"  said  the  sorcerer.  "  I  con- 
sider that  the  advice  was  worth  double  the  money.  It  made  you 
a  positive  benefactor  to  your  country.  In  your  efforts  to  create 


174  THE   GREAT  SHOW  IN  KOBOL-LAND. 

dissensions  in  the  land,  and  by  means  of  your  universal  food, 
to  put  yourself  at  the  head  of  a  mob  of  lazy  people,  whom  you 
would  cheat  into  the  belief  that  you  would  allow  them  to  live  with- 
out work,  you  have  brought  together  our  king  and  queen,  who 
otherwise  might  never  have  found  out  how  well  suited  to  each 
other  they  were.  You  have  cultivated  friendly  relations  between 
Tanobar  and  Nustyria,  and  above  all,  in  endeavoring  to  work  upon 
the  generous  feelings  of  the  king  you  have  put  out  of  existence 
that  baneful  plant,  which  would  have  taken  from  men  the  incentive 
to  the  improvement  of  their  condition  ;  and  so  I  say  there  never 
was  a  grander  success  than  the  great  show  in  Kobol-land." 

"  Away   with   you,"    cried    Gromline,    and    went    on   with    his 
packing. 


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DEPENDENT. 


Evening  Tales. 

Done  into  English  from  the  French  of  Frederic  Ortoli,    by  JOEL  CHANDLER 

HARRIS.     I2mo,  $1.00. 

"  It  is  a  veritable  French  '  Uncle  Remus '  that  Mr.  Harris  has  discovered  in  Frederic  Ortoli.  The 
book  has  the  genuine  piquancy  of  Gallic  wit,  and  will  be  sure  to  charm  American  children.  Mr.  Har- 
ris's version  is  delightfully  written." — BOSTON  BEACON. 


Hans   Brinker : 

Or,  The  Silver  Skates.     A  Story  of  Life  in  Holland.     By  Mary 
Mapes  Dodge.     With  60  illustrations.     I2mo,  $1.50. 

"  The  author  has  shown,  in  her  former  works  for  the  young,  a  very  rare  ability  to  meet  their 
wants;  but  she  has  produced  nothing  better  than  this  charming  tale — alive  with  incident  and  action, 
adorned  rather  than  freighted  with  useful  facts,  and  moral  without  moralization."— THE  NATION. 


Charles  Scribner'1  s  Sons'1  ^Books  for   Young  Readers. 


Written  and  Illustrated  by  Howard  Pyle 

A  NEW  BOOK  JUST  PUBLISHED. 

THE 
STORY  OF  SIR  LAUNCELOT  AND   HIS   COMPANIONS 

Profusely  illustrated.     Royal  8vo,   $2.50  net. 

The  account  of  the  adventures  and  deeds  of  Sir  Launcelot,  fully 
and  beautifully  illustrated  in  Mr.  Pyle's  characteristic  style,  and  uniform 
with  his  other  two  books,  "The  Story  of  King  Arthur  and  His  Knights" 
and  "The  Story  of  the  Champions  of  the  Round  Table."  This  book 
takes  up  the  adventures  of  the  greatest  of  the  Arthurian  heroes,  from 
the  very  beginning,  and  also  that  of  his  son  Sir  Galahad. 

"There  is  nobody  quite  like  Howard  Pyle,  after  all,  when  it  comes  to  stories  for  children, 
nobody  with  his  peculiar  freshness  and  enthusiasm,  and  his  power  of  choosing  quaint  and 
lovely  settings  for  the  sometimes  quiet,  sometimes  stirring  tales  that  appeal  at  once  to  his 
readers  by  their  truth  and  naturalness." — THE  SPRINGFIELD  REPUBLICAN. 


OTHER  "BOOKS  BY  MR.  PYLE. 

THE  STORY  OF  THE  CHAMPIONS   OF  THE  ROUND  TABLE.     Profusely  illustrated. 

Royal  8vo,  $2.50  net. 
"  He  has  caught  the  very  spirit  of  chivalry.     It  is  one  of  the  best  of  holiday  books." — SAN  FRANCISCO  CHRONICLE. 


THE   STORY   OF   KING   ARTHUR   AND   HIS   KNIGHTS.     Profusely   illustrated.     Royal 
8vo,  $2.50  net. 

"Nothing  could  be  better  to  give  a  boy  or  girl  for  Christmas  than  Mr. 
Pyle's  rendition  of  these  stately,  ennobling  old  legends." 

— CHICAGO  RECORD-HERALD. 

THE  MERRY  ADVENTURES  OF  ROBIN  HOOD. 

Illustrated.     Royal  8vo,  $3.00. 

"This  superb  book  is  unquestionably  the  most  original  and  elaborate  ever 
produced  by  any  American  author.  Mr.  Pyle  has  told,  with  pencil  and  pen, 
the  complete  and  consecutive  story  of  Robin  Hood  and  his  merry  men  in  their 
haunts  in  Sherwood  Forest,  gathered  from  the  old  ballads  and  legends." — 
BOSTON  TRANSCRIPT. 

OTTO    OF    THE   SILVER   HAND.     Illustrated.     Royal 
8vo,  $2.00. 

"The  scene  of  the  story  is  mediaeval  Germany  in  the  time  of  the  feuds  and 
robber  barons  and  romance.  The  kidnapping  of  Otto,  his  adventures 

among  rough  soldiers  and  his  daring  rescue  make  up  a  spirited  and  thrilling  FROM  "OTTO  OF  THE  SILVER  HAND.' 

story."— CHRISTIAN  UNION.  Reduced. 


Charles  Scribner's  Sons'1  'Books  for   Young  Readers. 


By  William  Henry  Frost. 

FAIRIES  AND  FOLK  OF  IRELAND.     Illustrated  by  SIDNEY  R.   BUPLEIGH.     lamo,  $1.50. 
"Fresh  and  delightful  materials  are  incorporated  in  witty  and  interesting  narratives." — PHILADELPHIA  PRESS. 

THE  KNIGHTS  OF  THE  ROUND  TABLE.     Stories  of  King  Arthur  and  the  Holy  Grail.     Il- 
lustrated by  SIDNEY  R.  BURLEIGH.     lamo,  $1.50. 

"The  book  is  especially  commended  to  boys,  who  will  delight  in  the  martial  spirit  breathed  through  the  ta'rs,  and  tanrc  t 
fail  to  be  benefited  by  reading  of  the  courage,  honor,  and  truth  of  these  'brave  knights  of  old.'" 

— CHICAGO  INTER-OCEAN. 

THE  COURT  OF  KING  ARTHUR.     Stories  from  the  Land  of  the  Round  Table.     Illustrated 
by  SIDNEY  R.  BURLEIGH.     i2mo,  $1.50. 

"Mr.  William  Henry  Frost  in  'The  Court  of  King  Arthur'  has  succeeded  admirably  in  his  attempt  to  make  the  doughty 
knights  and  fair  ladies  of  ancient  days  seem  distinct  and  interesting  to  boys  and  girls  of  our  own  time." 

— PUBLIC  OPINION. 

THE  WAGNER  STORY  BOOK.      Firelight  Tales  of  the  Great  Music  Dramas.     Illustrated  by 
SIDNEY  R.  BURLEIGH.     i2mo,  $1.50. 

"The  story  of  the  Knight  of  the  Swan,  of  the  Ring  of  the  Nibelungen,  the  Search  for  the  Grail,  of  Lohengrin  and  of 
Parsifal,  are  among  the  richest  and  deepest  of  the  great  mediaeval  stories.  They  are  pre-eminentlv  the  natural  food  for 
children  of  imagination,  and  in  this  volume  these  stories  are  retold  in  a  very  effective  way." — THE  OUTLOOK. 


Robert  Grant's  Two  Books  for  Boys. 

JACK    HALL;   or,    the   School   Days  of  an  American   Boy.      Illustrated   by   F.   G.   ATTWOOD. 
lamo,  $1.25. 

"A  better  book  for  boys  has  never  been  written.      It   is    pure,  clean    and  healthy,  and  has  throughout    a   vigorous 
action  that  holds  the  reader  breathless." — BOSTON  HERALD. 

"A  capital  story  for  boys,  wholesome  and  interesting.     It  reminds  one  of  'Tom  Brown.'" — BOSTON  TRANSCRIPT. 


JACK  IN  THE  BUSH;  or,  a  Summer  on  a   Salmon  River.      Illustrated  by  F    1 .   MERRILL. 

i2mo,  $1.25. 

"A  clever  book  for  bovs.     It  is  the  story  of  the  camp-life  of  a  lot  of  hoys,  and  is  destined  to  please  every  boy  reader. 
It  is  attractively  illustrated."— DETROIT  FREE  PRESS. 

"An   ideal   story   of   out-door  lite   and  genuine  experiences." — BOSTON  TRAVELLER. 


Charles  Scribner^s  Sons1  *Books  for  Young  Readers. 


Books  by  Kirk  Munroe. 


A  SON  OF  SATSUMA;   or,  WITH  PERRY  IN  JAPAN.     Illustrated  by  RUFUS  F.  ZOGBAUM. 

i2mo,  $1.00  net. 

"If  there  is  a  man  who  understands  writing  a  story  for  boys  better  than  another,  it  is  Kirk  Munroe." — SPRINGFIELD 
REPUBLICAN. 

BRETHREN   OF  THE   COAST:   A  TALE  OF  WEST  INDIAN  PIRATES.     Illustrated  by 
RUFUS  F.  ZOGBAUM.     i2mo,  $1.25. 

"There  is  enough  of  history  and  enough  of  action  in  this  story  to  make  it  valuable  as  well  as  readable,  and  this  story 
of  adventure  and  description  will  be  read  with  interest  and  profit." — HERALD  AND  PRESBYTER. 

MIDSHIPMAN   STUART;   OR,   THE   LAST   CRUISE   OF  THE    ESSEX.     A  tale  of  1812. 

Illustrated.     i2mo,  $1.25. 

The  story  tells  of  the  exciting  adventures  of  an  unusually  plucky   and  enterprising  American  boy  whose   career  at 
sea  is  marked  with  hairbreadth  escapes. 

IN  PIRATE  WATERS:  A  TALE  OF  THE  AMERICAN  NAVY.     Illustrated  by  I.  W.  TABER. 

i2mo,  $1.25. 

The  boy  hero  of  this  book  assists  in  the  extinction  of  this  cowardly  system,  taking   part  in  some  of   the  sea  fights 
which  brought  glory  to  the  American  navy. 


The  White  Conqueror's  Series. 

Each  i2mo,  $1.25.     The  set  in  a  box,  four  volumes,  $5.00. 

WITH  CROCKETT  AND  BOWIE;  or,  Fighting  for  the  Lone  Star  State.    Illustrated  by  VICTOR 
S.  PERARD. 

"  One  of  the  most  spirited  and  interesting  tales  that  he  has  written." — NEWS  AND  COURIER. 

THROUGH  SWAMP  AND  GLADE.     A  tale  of  the  Seminole  War. 
Illustrated  by  VICTOR  S.  PERARD. 

"  No  boy  can  get  hold  of  this  story  without  being  carried  away  with  it." 

— BOSTON  COURIER. 

AT  WAR  WITH  PONTIAC;  or,  the  Totem  of  the  Bear.     A  tale  of 
redcoat  and  redskin.     Illustrated  by  J.  FENNEMORE. 

"  The  book  is  admirably  written  throughout  and  has  not  a  dull  page  in  it." 

— BOSTON  BEACON. 

THE  WHITE  CONQUERORS.     A  tale  of  Toltec  and  Aztec.      Illus- 
trated by  W.  S.  STAGEY. 

"The  book  is  filled  with  incident  and  permeated  with  the  high  color  and  life  of  the 
period  and  country  " — CAMBRIDGE  TRIBUNE. 


Charles  Scribner's  Sons9  "Books  for  Young  Readers. 


The  Norseland  Series, 

<BY  H.  H.  <BOYESEN. 

NORSELAND  TALES.     Illustrated.     I2mo,  $1.25. 
BOYHOOD  IN  NORWAY  :   NINE  STORIES  OF  DEEDS  OF  THE  SONS 
OF  THE  VIKINGS.     With  8  illustrations.     I2mo,  $1.25 

AGAINST  HEAVY  ODDS,  AND  A  FEARLESS  TRIO.     With  13  full- 
page  illustrations  by  W.  L.  TAYLOR.     I2mo,  $1.25. 

THE   MODERN   VIKINGS  :    STORIES  OF  LIFE  AND  SPORT  IN  THE 

NORSELAND.     With  many  full-page  illustrations.     I2mo,  $1.25. 

The  four  above  volumes  in  a  box,  $5.00. 

"  Charmingly  told  stories  of  boy-life  in  the  Land  of  the  Midnight  Sun,  illustrated 
with  pictures  giving  a  capital  idea  of  the  incidents  and  scenes  described.  The  tales 
have  a  delight  all  their  own,  as  they  tell  of  scenes  and  sports  and  circumstances  so 
different  from  those  of  our  American  life." — N.  Y.  OBSERVER. 


Two  Books  by  Rossiter  Johnson. 

THE  END  OF  A  RAINBOW.   AN  AMERICAN  STORY.    Illustrated.    I2mo, 

$1.50. 

"  It  will  be  read  with  breathless  interest.  It  is  interesting  and  full  of  boyish  experiences." — 
N.  Y.  INDEPENDENT. 

PHAETON  ROGERS.  A  NOVEL  OF  BOY  LIFE.   Illustrated.  I2mo,  Oi-5o. 

"Mr.  Johnson  has  shown  in  this  book  capabilities  of  a  really  high  quality,  for  his  story 
abounds  with  humor,  and  there  are  endless  bits  ot  quiet  fun  in  it,  which  bring  out  the 
hearty  laugh,  even  when  it  is  read  by  older  people.  It  is  a  capital  book  for  boys."— NEW 
YORK  TIMES. 


Mrs.   Burton  Harrison's  Tales. 

BRIC-A-BRAC  STORIES. 

With  24  illustrations  by  WALTER  CRANE.  I2mo,  $1.50. 
"When  the  little  boy,  for  whose  benefit  the  various  articles  of  bric-a-brac  in  his 
father's  drawing-room  relate  stories  appropriate  to  their  several  native  countries, 
exclaims  at  the  conclusion  of  one  of  them  :  *  I  almost  think  there  can't  be  a  better 
one  than  that  1 '  the  reader,  of  whatever  age,  will  probably  feel  inclined  to  agree 
with  him.  Upon  the  whole,  it  is  to  be  wished  that  every  boy  and  girl  might  become 
acquainted  with  the  contents  of  this  book."— JULIAN  HAWTHORNE. 

THE  OLD  FASHIONED  FAIRY  BOOK. 

Illustrated  by  ROSIN  A  EMMET.     i6mo,  $1.25. 

"  The  little  ones,  who  so  willingly  go  back  with  us  to  'Jack  the  Giant  Killer,' 
4  Bluebeard,'  and  the  kindred  stories  of  our  childhood,  will  gladly  welcome  Mrs. 
Burton  Harrison's  l  Old- Fashioned  Fairy  Tales.'  The  graceful  pencil  of  Miss  Ro- 
sina  Emmet  has  given  a  pictorial  interest  to  the  book." — FRANK  R.  STOCKTON. 


BBOM  "BRIC-A-BRAC  STORIES.' 
Reduced. 


Cbarle^  Scribner's  Sons'  !3ooks  for  Young  Readers. 


Heroes  of  the  Olden  Time. 

By  JAMES  BALDWIN.     Three  volumes,  I2mo,  each 

beautifully  illustrated.     Singly,  $1.50; 

the  set,  $4.00. 

A  STORY  OF  THE  GOLDEN  AGE.    Illustrated 
by  HOWARD  PYLE. 

"  Mr.  Baldwin's  book  is  redolent  with  the  spirit  of  the  Odyssey,  that  glo- 
rious primitive  epic,  fresh  with  the  dew  of  the  morning  of  time.  It  is  an  unal- 
loyed pleasure  to  read  his  recital  of  the  adventures  of  the  wily  Odysseus.  How- 
ard Pyle's  illustrations  render  the  spirit  of  the  Homeric  age  with  admirable 
felicity.  "—PROF.  H.  H.  BOYESEN. 

THE  STORY  OF  SIEGFRIED.     Illustrated  by  HOWARD  PYLE. 

"  The  story  of  '  Siegfried '  is  charmingly  told.    The  author  makes  up  the  stcrv  fr  m  the  various  myths  in  a  fascinating 
way  which  cannot  fail  to  interest  the  reader.     It  is  as  enjoyable  as  any  fairy  tale." — HARTFORD  COURANT. 

THE  STORY  OF  ROLAND.     Illustrated  by  R.  B.  EIRCH. 

"  Mr.  Baldwin  has  culled  from  a  wide  range  of  epics,  French,  Italian,  and  German,  and  has  once  more  proved  his  aptitude 
M  a  story-teller  for  the  young."— THE  NATION. 


The  Boy's  Library  of  Legend  and  Chivalry. 

Edited  by  SIDNEY  LANIER,  and  richly  illustrated  by  FREDERICKS,  BENSELL,  and 
KAPPES.  Four  volumes,  cloth,  uniform  binding,  price  per  set  $7.00.  Sold 
separately,  price  per  volume,  $2.00. 

Mr.  Lanier's  books  present  to  boy  readers  the  old 
English  classics  of  history  and  legend  in  an  attract- 
ive form.  While  they  are  stories  of  actiot.  and 
stirring  incident,  they  teach  those  lessons  which 
manly,  honest  boys  ought  to  learn. 

THE  BOY'S  KING  ARTHUR. 
THE  BOY'S  FROISSART. 
THE  BOY'S  PERCY. 
THE     KNIGHTLY      LEGENDS     OF 
WALES. 

"  Amid  all  the  strange  and  fanciful  scenery  of  these  stories, 
character  and  ideals  of  character  remain  at  the  simplest  and 
purest.  The  romantic  history  transpires  in  the  healthy  atmos- 
phere of  the  open  air  on  the  green  earth  beneath  the  open  sky." 
—THE  INDEPENDENT- 


Charles  Scribner's  Sons'  Tlooks for  Young  Readers. 


Stories  for  Boys. 

By  RICHARD  HARDING  DAVIS.     With  6  full-page  illustra- 
tions.    I2mo,  $1.00 

CONTENTS  :     The  Reporter  who  made  himself  King — Midsummer  Pi-       4 
rates — Richard  Carr's  Baby,  a  Football  Story — The  Great  Tri-Club 
Tennis  Tournament — The  Jump  at  Corey's  Slip — The  Van  Bibber 
Baseball  Club — The  Story  of  a  Jockey. 

"It  will  be  astonishing  indeed  if  youths  of  all  ages  are  not  fascinated  with  these 
'Stories  for  Boys.'  Mr.  Davis  knows  infallibly  what  will  interest  his  young  readers." 
^BOSTON  BEACON. 


RICHARD  HARDING  DAVIS. 


Marvels  of  Animal   Life  Series. 


By  CHARLES  F.  HOLDER.  Three  volumes,  8vo, 
each  profusely  illustrated.  Singly,  $1.75 ; 
the  Set,  $5.00. 

THE  IVORY  KING.  A  POPULAR  HISTORY  OF  THE  ELE- 
PHANT AND  ITS  ALLIES. 

"The  author  talks  in  a  lively  and  pleasant  way  about  white 
elephants,  rojue  elephants,  baby  elephants,  trick  elephants,  of  the 
elephant  in  war,  pageantry,  sports  and  games*  A  charming  accession 
to  books  for  young  people." — CHICAGO  INTERIOR. 

MARVELS  OF  ANIMAL  LIFE. 

"  Mr.  Holder  combines  his  description  of  these  odd  creatures  with 
stories  of  his  own  adventures  in  pursuit  of  them  in  many  parts  of  the 
world.  These  arz  told  with  much  spirit,  and  add  greatly  to  the  fasci- 
nation of  the  book." — WORCESTER  SPY. 

LIVING  LIGHTS.  A  POPULAR  ACCOUNT  OF  PHOSPHOR- 
ESCENT ANIMALS  AND  VEGETABLES. 

"  A  very  curious  branch  of  natural  history  is  expounded  in  most 
agreeable  style  by  this  delightful  book.  He  has  revealed  a  world  of 
new  wonders." — PHILADELPHIA  BULLETIN. 


'THE   IVORY  KING. 

Reduced. 


White  Cockades. 

An  Incident  of  the  "Forty-five."      By  EDWARD  I.  STEVENSON.     I2mo,  $1.00. 

"  A  bright  historical  tale.  The  scene  is  Scotland  ;  the  time  that  of  Prince  Charles'  rebellion.  The  hero  is  a  certain  gallant 
young  nobleman  devoted  to  the  last  of  the  Stuarts  and  his  cause.  The  action  turns  mainly  upon  the  hiding,  the  hunting,  and  the 
narrow  escapes  of  Lord  Geoffrey  Armitage  from  the  spies  and  soldiers  of  the  King."— NEW  YORK  MAIL  AND  EXPRESS. 


Prince  Peerless. 

A  Fairy-Folk  Story  Book.    By  MARGARET  COLLIER  (Madam  Gelletti  Di  Cadilhac). 
Illustrated  by  John  Collier.     lamo,  $1.25. 

"  More  admirable  and  fascinating  a  fairy-story  book  we  have  not  lately  set  eyes  upon.    The  stblries'are  most  airily 
conceived  and  gracefully  executed."— HARTFORD  POST. 


Cbarles  Scribner's  Sons'  "Books  for  Young  Readers. 


Samuel  Adams  Drake's  Historical  Books. 


THE  MAKING  OF  THE  OHIO  VALLEY  STATES.  1660-1837. 
Illustrated.     I2mo,  $1.50. 

THE  MAKING  OF  VIRGINIA  AND  THE  MIDDLE  COLONIES. 
1578-1701.     Illustrated.     I2mo,  $1.50. 

THE  MAKING  OF  NEW  ENGLAND.     1580-1643.     With  148 
illustrations  and  with  maps.     I2mo,  $1.50. 

THE    MAKING   OF  THE   GREAT  WEST.     1812-1853.    With 
145  illustiations  and  with  maps.     I2mo,  $1.50. 

"  The  author's  aim  in  these  books  is  that  they  shall  occupy  a  place  between  the 
larger  and  lesser  histories  of  the  lands  and  of  the  periods  of  which  they  treat,  and 
that  each  topic  therein  shall  be  treated  as  a  unit  and  worked  out  to  a  clear  understand- 
ing of  its  objects  and  results  before  passing  to  another  topic.  In  the  furtherance  of  this 
method  each  subject  has  its  own  descriptive  notes,  maps,  plans  and  illustrations, 
the  whole  contributing  to  a  thorough,  though  condensed,  knowledge  of  the  sub- 
ject in  hand." — NEW  YORK  MAIL  AND  EXPRESS. 


The  Butterfly  Hunters  in  the  Caribbees. 

By  Dr.  EUGENE  MURRAY-AARON.     With  8  full-page  illustrations.     Square  I2mo,  $2.00. 

"  The  book  is  written  in  a  very  interesting  style.  The  author  is  a  recognized  authority  on  the  subjects  or  which  he  writes. 
He  takes  a  company  of  young  explorers  over  ground  with  which  he  is  thoroughly  familiar." — THE  INDEPENDENT. 

'*  Our  author  only  reproduces  the  incidents  and  scenes  of  his  own  life  as  an  exploring  naturalist  in  a  way  to  capture  the 
attention  of  younger  readers.  The  incidents  are  told  entertainingly,  and  his  descriptions  of  country  and  the  methods  of  capture  o< 
butterflies  and  bugs  of  rare  varieties  are  full  of  interest." — CHICAGO  INTER-OCEAN. 


A  New  Mexico  David. 

AND  OTHER  STORIES  AND  SKETCHES  OF  THE  SOUTH  WEST.      By  CHARLES  F.  LUMMIS.    Illustrated.     I2mo, 

$1.25. 

"  Mr.  Lummis  has  lived  for  years  in  the  land  of  the  Pueblos  ;  has  traversed  it  in  every  direction,  both  on  foot  and  on  horse* 
tack  :  arid  it  is  an  enthralling  treat  set  before  youthful  readers  by  him  in  this  series  of  lively  chronicles." — BOSTON  BEACON. 


bUGENE  FIELD 


Poems  of  Childhood   by  Eugene   Field. 

LOVE  SONGS  OF  CHILDHOOD.     i6mo,  $1.00. 

WITH  TRUMPET  AND  DRUM.     By  EUGENE  FIELD.     i6mo,  $..un 

"  His  poems  of  childhood  have  gone  home,  not  only  to  the  hearts  of  children,  but  to 
the  heart  of  the  country  as  well,  and  he  is  one  of  the  few  contributors  to  that  genuine 
literature  of  childhood  which  expresses  ideas  trom  the  standpoint  of  a  child." — THE  OUTLOOK. 


P....icJdcr&Ga 


